Until I Found You
by Nik216
Summary: Juliana Marchetti was a virologist for the CDC and rising star in her field, when her work was taken away from her. Forced into a transfer, she's stuck in LA and hating every minute, until she runs into an old friend, who introduces her to a new one. Things are beginning to look up, until her old research catches the attention of the wrong people. Tuck/OC Rated M for the usual.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: WTF am I doing? Honestly?! I have issues. Like I was calmly thinking about my work, laying out my Warrior story and SHE starts in on me. I don't tell my Muse what to do…I just nod and say, "Yes, Ma'am."**

**I've had this in my head for a long, long time, and I guess (thanks to a dear equally crazy friend who doesn't say, "what are you thinking writing two stories" and instead says, "post this now") now is the time to work on it.**

**SO yeah…here we are!**

**You all know the drill, own nothing but my own additions…**

**And as always, read and review! Feedback is love…the Muse is a hungry, needy wench.**

* * *

Southern California was supposed to be paradise. Warm sun, beaches; it was a gorgeous world that attracted beautiful people by the millions. But to Juliana Marchetti, it felt no different than the frigid winters she knew as a kid in upstate New York.

She didn't want to be here.

Her eyes absently danced over to the floor to ceiling window that was next to her desk as she looked out at the looming skyscrapers that made up the downtown skyline, and the myriad of cars and people that milled around far below her. It seemed dirty and congested and loud and…her miserable ramblings were cut short as she caught sight of the mountain of files that were still sitting in front of her.

She'd done almost nothing since she arrived at work. She'd been sitting behind her desk for over six hours and she hadn't managed to sort through a few research proposals to collate them to be refilled. It was pathetic. There was a time when six hours worth of work was more than she needed to run one major experiment and begin to write up the results.

To actually _do_ something that was possibly going to change the world. But that was then, before they took everything.

Now it was gone.

All of it was gone.

An entire year of her life had been completely wasted.

Juliana stared at her computer screen and felt a wave of anger and sadness wash over her for the thousandth time that day. She took off her square, wire rimmed eye glasses and dumped them on the desk. She rubbed her tired blue eyes and she felt the prick of tears rising up. She closed her eyes to blink them away, and just like that the two-week-old memory came rushing back to her in stark detail.

She was a doctor, a virologist, working for the Centers for Disease Control, and up until last year the thirty-year-old had been a rising star in her field. Her work was specifically focused on dealing with extremely virulent agents like Ebola and Marburg, hemorrhagic fevers with 90% mortality rates that were so horrific that movies and books had only sugar coated what they were capable of doing.

She was recruited right out of medical school by the CDC to work first in their Atlanta Headquarters, and later she transferred to a top secret location outside of Anchorage, Alaska where she worked tirelessly to develop an anti-viral medication that would be able to be mass produced in case of an outbreak.

It took almost a year, but she finally did it. She'd managed to synthesize a protein that could break apart the tough outer shell of the virus and from there she was determined to work on a way to destroy it. She'd made a massive breakthrough; something that she was sure would make her career, and the little girl deep down inside her that still held her huge pile of science books with thick glasses had starry-eyed dreams of a Nobel Prize or something like that.

* * *

"_Ah, there you are. Good Morning, Juliana, please take a seat."_

_She was actually smiling when she walked into his office that morning with her notes and files tucked under her arm like a diligent student prepared to make her presentation. It was early on a Monday, just after ten, but she'd already been working for the better part of six hours. Her perfectly starched white lab coat flared out behind her like a cape as she opened the door, expecting to see Doctor Harkins and perhaps one or two colleagues. What she got instead was nearly ten people jammed into the small space, including three men in full military dress uniform, all of them in the highest ranks._

_Harkins looked at her with an almost apologetic look in his soft brown eyes as he gestured to the vacant chair in front of him. She obeyed instantly, still foolishly optimistic about the situation. But that changed the instant he opened his mouth to speak to her and everyone else about the situation._

"_I am glad that everyone could make it this morning," He began. "I believe that Dr. Marchetti's recent discovery certainly warrants this type of attention. After all it has been over 50 years since the appearance of the Marburg Virus and for the first time we have the key to understanding how it works. The discovery of the trigger to actively mutate the NPC-1 gene and introduce it directly to the virus has allowed previously unthought-of access into the structure of the agent itself."_

_Juliana nodded at the accurate reassessment of her work, unable to stop herself from speaking when she added. "This allows us to finally formulate a vaccine and an anti-viral with absolute assurance that it will work. We've taken the filovirus and will be able to make it into something that is no more dangerous than the common cold. Think of the way we can introduce this weakened virus to livestock and human beings in destitute populations in Africa that are constantly under threat from Ebola and other bleeding fevers." She was beaming with excitement as she finished. "And most importantly, the NPC-1 gene has also been linked to the HIV virus and how it infects cell after cell in the human body. What if further research opens up the door to finally finding a vaccine for it?"_

"_So you've managed to create a way for someone to open up the virus and essentially reprogram it?" A deep, dry voice said from her left. It belonged to a heavily decorated man in an immaculate Army uniform in his late fifties. Juliana stared at him for a moment not sure what to say there was something about the way he was looking at her that set her instantly on edge._

"_This is Colonel Lincoln J. Barnes, USAMRIID," Dr. Harkins answered quietly._

_The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases was a section of the Department of Defense that dealt with research into countermeasures against biological warfare. It was common for investigators to work with the CDC from time to time, but the fact that they were here now, discussing her work, raised a red flag._

"_Well, I suppose if you want to simplify it, that assumption would be correct," Juliana finally answered calmly. _

_Barnes looked at the other two men that were standing next to him before turning back to her. "So if your technology and research got into the hands of someone with a capable virologist, is it not possible that instead of redesigning these viruses to make them less dangerous, they could in fact make them into more powerful weapons? What is to stop the enemies of the United States from manufacturing a 'global killer'?"_

_She was taken aback by his tone, and for a long pause she could do nothing but stare blankly ahead. "That could be said for any number of current projects…"_

"_But this is _your _project that we are currently talking about, Dr. Marchetti, and I cannot ignore the ramifications." He answered as Dr. Harkins shifted uncomfortably in his chair._

"_I'm so sorry to do this, Juliana." Harkins mumbled. _

_Her heart was pounding and she could feel her stomach churning with nerves as she whispered, "What are you talking about, Andrew?"_

_Colonel Barnes adjusted his uniform and cleared his throat. "The Department of Defense has determined that the research into the modification of the NPC-1 protein has been deemed too much of a national security risk to continue; effective immediately all studies are to be discontinued and you will hand over all of your research notes pertaining to the work."_

"_What!" She yelled as her face flushed bright red. "You can't be serious; I've been working on this for a damn year! This is my life's work!"_

"_This is non-negotiable, Dr. Marchetti," Barnes spoke in a flat tone. "I expect explicit compliance in this matter."_

* * *

Just like that it was over.

Juliana was forced to hand over everything she'd worked on. Her lab notes, experiments and results, her research, even her personal laptop, tablet and phone were wiped completely clean. They'd gone so far as asking her who outside of the Alaska compound had any idea of what she was working on.

She explained through barely disguised tears that there really wasn't another person who knew everything that she had done, a few colleagues in her current location had assisted on a few basic tests, and her ex-fiancé that worked at the CDC's Atlanta headquarters knew that she specialized in level four biohazard agents, but none of them knew anything of the particulars.

Lastly she was informed that she was being transferred to the Los Angeles CDC archive office effective immediately. It was explained that it was for her safety. The NSA, DOD and the FBI made the decision, and there was nothing else to be said about it, and two weeks later, here she sat. Sweltering in the California sun, and hating every minute of it.

After busting her ass through college, medical school, and the start of her professional career, she now was officially a paper pusher. She was condemned to a life of stamping, sorting and compiling research of other doctors all because she had been _too_ good at her job. She was going to be trapped behind her desk instead of a microscope…all of it was gone.

Her hand absently went up to the long chain around her neck just as the phone rang in her tiny cubicle and it pulled her out of her pity-party. She reached for it and answered with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"Archives, this is Juliana how can I help you."

"Heya, Jules," A voice chirped brightly at her. It was her middle sister Antonia. If there was any bright light to the fact that she was a terminally single, work obsessed, bona fide science geek, it was her family.

She grew up just outside of Albany, New York, in an over the top Italian American household. Her biological father hadn't been in her life since she was five, but her mother Rosemarie raised her and her younger sisters, Antonia and Kathleen to be strong independent women, and found a wonderful man when Juliana was fourteen. Her step-father Albert was the dad she'd never had, and when he and his three sons, Joseph, Daniel and Nicholas moved into their home they created a wonderful, raucous family that put the Brady Bunch to shame.

With husbands, wives and children, the immediate family on the holidays now numbered twenty one. Actually, it was kind of getting embarrassing, after her youngest brother's wedding last July; Juliana was the only one that didn't have a significant other- and no one let her forget it.

But despite the constant mortification she still missed them like crazy, her entire family still lived on the east coast within a day's drive from one another, and she was lucky to get home once or twice a year. Usually she made it a point to make the annual summer vacation to Lake George, where they rented out a massive mansion and spent a week by the lake.

It was a blast, time to catch up with one another and remain close. They'd been making the trip since she was fourteen, but admittedly this was the first time she was a little leery about it.

She'd been forced to lie to her family about her work situation too. It killed her to tell them that she knowingly took a transfer to a location that she hated, and she was pretty sure that her mother and her sisters had seen right through it. If there was anything they hated it was lies between loved ones.

"What's up, Toni, how's my baby boy?" Juliana asked with a smile, missing her six month old nephew to death.

"He's good," She answered with a laugh. "Nice to know you miss me."

"I do, just not as much."

"What_ever_," Her sister snorted. "I was just making sure you were going to make the family trip in July."

"Yeah," Juliana answered. "Of course, I think I have room nine."

"The one with _one_ teeny-tiny bed in it? That would be you."

She rolled her eyes playfully and glanced down at the clock, it was 3:30, and Thursday was her early day to kick off. "On that note, I am going to tell you to shut your dirty whorish mouth and that I am leaving work now. And for your information I might have someone to bring, you never know."

Antonia giggled at the vulgar comment that was a running joke between them. "Is his name _George Glass_, Jan Brady?"

Both women broke into laughter and Juliana somehow managed to feel a million times better, God she missed her sisters. "Alright, hon, I'll let you go and talk to you soon. Give the fam kisses for me."

"I will, Jules, I love you."

* * *

There had to be some sort of "California" gene, because as Juliana walked through the crowded outdoor plaza she marveled at the way that every single woman who walked past her had flawless skin, great hair, and a banging body. Did they seriously come out of some sort of factory?

The sarcastic part of her brain reminded her that getting a boob job and a tummy tuck was like a right of passage out here, and she was pale and pasty because she just came from living in Alaska for a year. And yeah, her mass of voluminous light brown curls that tumbled to the middle of her back and her ice blue eyes may not have been movie star, but the pale vampire thing was in right now.

She shook her head, who was she kidding, she was pretty good looking, 5'8'' and 145 pounds with a decent set of curves thanks to her Italian heritage, but she was no California girl; that was for damn sure.

That was why she had just spent an hour running nowhere on an elliptical machine surrounded by Barbie dolls and contorting her body into positions it was not supposed to be in for some sort of yoga that was supposed to tone her backside, and the fatigue of said backside was proof that it worked.

Then again, what was she doing this _work_ for? It wasn't like she did anything other than go to the office and go home every day. She was miserable. Her job sucked, and even that recent crap-storm paled in comparison to the pathetic state of her love life.

A frown crossed her mouth almost instantaneously, what love life?

She took a deep breath and stared down at her feet in flip-flops and the scuffed pedicure that she'd gotten when she first arrived in LA. She really needed to try a little harder.

Her stomach rumbled loudly and Juliana absently stared at the multitude of restaurants that lined the street of the pedestrian mall around her. Her first instinct was to crave carbs, a huge plate of pasta and bread, but after the workout that she'd just slaved through she was not wasting it. She out and out refused to eat at a California pizza place, as an Italian from the east coast there was something that was absolutely sacrilegious about barbeque sauce and avocado on pizza. That only left the brightly lit sushi place in front of her.

It kind of fit the bill, there wasn't anything that hit a craving like a spicy salmon roll, and it was healthy.

* * *

Juliana walked into the small restaurant with her purse and her gym bag over her shoulder and froze when the three Japanese men behind the counter yelled out an enthusiastic greeting that she didn't recognize, before she walked up to the counter and had a seat at one of the vacant stools.

"Hello," A pleasant voice said and she looked up to see one of the sushi chefs smiling at her with a large name tag that said 'Ken'. "How are you today?"

"I'm well," She said amiably, "How about you?"

"Very good," He stared at her and then the door, a strange look coming across his face before he spoke, "Just sushi for one today?"

She laughed to herself as she played with the huge puff of a bun that her thick curly hair had created on the top of her head. "Well, I am _really_ hungry; I could probably eat enough for two people. But yeah, it's just me."

Ken shook his head and smiled, "That is too bad, pretty ladies shouldn't eat alone."

Juliana smiled at him, "Well if you stand here I'll have plenty of company, and I'd love a spicy salmon roll."

* * *

Juliana ate her meal and enjoyed a nice conversation with the married sushi guy, whose daughter was going to be a senior in high school trying to get into a pre-med program for her undergraduate studies. She gave him a bit of advice and her business card, telling him if his daughter needed anything at all that she could feel free to call.

It might have seemed a little odd to some, but it wasn't like she had anything else to do with her time, and more importantly, she had the privilege of having so many people along the way that had helped her…it only felt right.

She was absently walking back across the busy pedestrian mall when suddenly she heard someone screaming out something that sounded suspiciously like her name.

"Juliana Marchetti, _Jules_, is that you!"

She spun around towards the voice and squinted through her glasses as she tried to locate the source of the sound; her blue eyes scanned the crowd until she caught sight of a petite slender blonde.

It took her a second to recognize her, but when she began to jump up and down excitedly and her face burst into a glowing smile she knew her instantly. She hadn't seen that infectious smile since she was an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia almost a decade ago.

Lauren Scott.

For the first time in weeks she felt a real smile slide across her face as she beamed and shouted back. "Lauren? Is that you?"

"Yes!" It took no time at all for the slender blonde to negotiate the cobblestones in her gorgeous but impractical platform nude pumps and she threw her arms around her in a warm hug.

Juliana hugged her tightly as she looked her old friend over. She certainly looked the part of a California girl, her long shiny blonde hair was gorgeous, and despite the fact that she'd always been ridiculously fit in school, her little figure now was absolutely incredible. It was set off in a snug little sleeveless red dress that showed off her curves and still managed to make her look incredibly classy.

"I can't believe it's you!" She finally spoke. "My God, it has been so long!"

"Too long," Juliana admitted as she grabbed her hands to squeeze them affectionately, pausing when she stared down at her left hand and noticed an absolutely beautiful diamond ring. "Oh my GOD, are you engaged?!"

"YES!" She jumped up and down and the two of them quickly began to degenerate into squealing teenage girls. "I have so much I need to tell you, we have to catch up immediately! Let's go!"

Juliana took one look at her disgusting, sweaty gym clothes and Lauren's sleek outfit and made a face, "Oh, hon, I just got done working out, I'm gross, definitely in no condition to go anywhere."

"No _way_ we are missing this reunion," Lauren frowned. She bit her lip and checked her watch, "What are you doing tonight at like seven?"

Sadly she was doing nothing at all but sitting in front of her television with a huge bowl of popcorn wallowing in her own misery.

"I don't have any plans." She finally answered with a smile.

"Well now you do," Lauren replied. "We are meeting up at The Border Grill downtown, _best _margaritas in Los Angeles."

Juliana laughed, "Well I can't say no to that." She reached into her bag and fished out her phone and after a quick text back and forth to capture each other's phone numbers she hugged her friend one last time. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Absolutely!" She answered back, "I can't wait!"

As she walked back to her car she realized that for the first time since she arrived in the city, she was actually _happy_ to be in Los Angeles. It was going to be a great night, she just knew it- finally things were looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: She's baaack…yeah so, we got to meet Jules in the last chapter…and now time to look at everyone's favorite CIA agent…**

**Mmm, I like things in Tuck's head…he's charming…**

**Thanks for all the excitement for this one! And as always, please read and review!**

**This is kinda not edited…cause I'm lazy…so I'm sure I missed something I'll fix later!**

**Enjoy and happy Friday! MWAH!**

* * *

_Tap…tap…tap…**tap, tap, tap**…tap…tap…**tap, tap, tap**…_

The repetitive and somewhat musical sound of tapping pens echoed through the mostly quiet office space. Tuck Hansen shook his head and turned away from his computer screen to stare at his partner's obviously bored form. Franklin "FDR" Foster, as per his usual lax office and "task" oriented habits, was sitting with his face down at his desk as he drummed away.

Tuck shook his head again as he finished another memorandum to Interpol about a follow up on the case him and FDR had just finished in Jakarta. They had been on the trail of a black-market dealer selling laboratory grade, axenic eggs and chickens of all things. Apparently, as foolish as it sounded, it had ramifications in the Department of Defense, and came straight down from the top. So the CIA had spent the better part of three months trekking through the jungles of Indonesia, fighting off malaria and God knows what else looking for Chicken Little.

But a month ago they had returned home successful. As usual, they went in to Collins' office for an immediate debriefing and then were summarily told, in the frank way the older woman talked about anything, that they were grounded for six to eight months. Granted this particular assignment of desk duty wasn't like their last "punishment". It was normal for agents to cycle in and out with being active and in the field and then being grounded in one location; it was actually how they managed to keep any sort of semblance of a normal life.

They'd actually both complained to Collins that they should have remained active for another cycle due to the time they had been down…but she'd quickly dismissed that idea. Tuck was also quick to notice that FDR hadn't exactly been all that vocal about fighting for field work, and he had a sneaking suspicion that his recent engagement to his girlfriend Lauren Scott probably had a great deal to do with that. He couldn't exactly blame him. He'd seen the couple's excitement firsthand. They'd been in the middle of the jungle and she'd been emailing him non-stop about different interesting wedding related things she'd located on Pinterest.

A fond smile curled his lip at the way that his best mate was actually glowing. To see someone who not long ago kept a rotating appointment calendar of women who he was sleeping with settle down and fall head over heels in love, it was endearing. And after everything that had happened with the "incident", and yes, the absolutely comical way that he and FDR had both chased after the beautiful blonde woman was still notoriously called that amongst the people in the office, Boyles and Bothwick specifically, he was truly happy for him.

He wasn't lying when he'd told Lauren that he was falling in love with her, but she'd chosen the best man for her- and he had bowed out gracefully.

And that had brought him back to his ex-wife Katie.

He had a foolishly optimistic hope that with his true life finally out in the open for her to see that there would be a chance to reclaim what they'd had once upon a time.

It was like coming back home for him, back to a place that he felt comfortable. For six months he woke up to a family breakfast and he loved every minute of it. Especially being there for his eight-year-old son Joe, to send him off to school, being there when he came home to help him with his schoolwork, and putting him to bed at night. He was a devoted husband and a loving father, it was the only thing he'd ever wanted for himself.

But there was always a nagging feeling that tickled at his gut, and he was quite sure it didn't take someone with the skills of a CIA agent to see it. It was just underneath the beautiful smile in Katie's pretty hazel eyes when she looked at him. He could feel it in the middle of the night, in the darkness of their bedroom when he held her close as he made love to her, and it practically rang in his ears as they lay there afterwards. There was something wrong.

It finally came out when he had a stopover in Prague on the way to Jakarta. They had been away for a month, and she'd called him at a little after midnight his time. He remembered smiling when he saw her number on the caller ID, so happy to hear from her, and then frowning instantly when he heard the tone of her voice.

It was quick and to the point. She told him that she loved him, but that she couldn't do this. She couldn't live a life where she'd have to be alone for months at a time. He told her that he understood, and as he hung up the phone and flopped down at the end of the bed, his heart broke all over again- but he wasn't surprised.

When it all came down to it, it didn't matter that she thought he was a travel agent before, that wasn't what doomed them. The problem in their marriage was the fact that he couldn't be there for her 24/7, and it didn't matter that he worked for the CIA. _He_ wasn't what she wanted. It was just that simple.

FDR had been a good friend, calling her a couple of rather colorful descriptors that he tried to pretend that he didn't find endlessly amusing. But thankfully they had been so busy with the mission that he hadn't had time to actually analyze and digest it until he landed at LAX and saw Lauren running down the terminal to throw her arms around Franklin.

It was then that he realized the truth of things. A woman that was supposed to love him unconditionally, who was supposed to be with him through thick and thin, richer or poorer, the mother of his child, hadn't even had the decency to end their relationship face to face. She hadn't even given him something to hold onto when he was halfway around the world with the faint threat that he might never come home.

That wasn't what love was.

He absently remembered talking to FDR at his Nana's house one afternoon as he looked at her and his grandfather as they held each other close. He told him that he was looking for a woman who could be everything to him. Who wouldn't run from the fact that his life wasn't easy, she'd be strong enough to stand on her own two feet and be there for him, just as he would always be there for her. He still wanted it more than anything, and what he had with Katie wasn't and could never be _that_.

He knew that now.

Luckily for his housing situation, he'd still been in the process of trying to sell his loft when he came home. It was easy enough to simply take it off the market and move back in, he was probably the only person in the world who was happy about the dismal state of the current US housing market.

But it was the impact on Joe that hurt him the most. Standing there with his suitcase packed and walking out the front door, and having to look at his son's chin tremble as he tried to hold in the tears, fighting desperately to be a "young man" and not cry, tore his damn heart out. He'd finally crouched down and held him close for a long time as the boy sobbed into his shirt, clutching onto him for dear life and making him promise between miserable hiccups that he would still come to karate twice a week, and saying over and over again he wanted to come live with him.

Tuck had no idea where he managed the composure to kiss his son on the forehead and tell him that he was always going to be there for him, at every practice he could, and that he needed him to stay with his mother so he could make sure that she was alright. He told him with a weak smile that he was the man of the house now, and to make sure he was on his best behavior, that Friday night wasn't too far away, and that if he _ever_ wanted to talk, no matter when, he was just a phone call away.

He actually made it all the way back to his place before he lost it. It was pathetic to admit, but he was man enough to say that he cried himself to sleep that first night.

The funny thing was he didn't have to call Franklin the next day. His friend just showed up with a goofy smile, two large pizzas, a case of cheap beer, a bottle of whiskey and at least ten of the stupidest testosterone raging, gratuitously violent, plotless action movies known to man. They'd gotten good and pissed and then drunk dialed Lauren because for some reason there was nothing they wanted more than warm chocolate cake, right out of the oven at midnight.

She'd called them both stupid, immature asses…but sure enough she showed up in her glasses and pajamas with a box of cake mix not twenty minutes later.

_That_ was what he wanted.

"Hey, Mr. Deep-in-thought," FDR's voice drifted across the narrow aisle at him, in his usual sarcastic banter, "What are you doing over there, it looks like it hurts."

A laugh puffed out of his mouth as he rolled his head on his shoulders and stared at him with a raised eyebrow, "It is called work, mate, it's what we do with this funny machine in front of me here, and in this shiny building. It's what they pay you that big, huge salary for."

"Yeah, well, I did a solid half hour of work this morning," FDR replied with a stretch and a yawn. "Besides, I don't really _do _paperwork. I'm more of a hands-on kinda guy."

Tuck couldn't help but laugh as he finished his memo and sent it off. "Hands-on," He repeated slowly.

"Yup."

There was no doubt an epic banter that was just about to begin, but the commanding, sure steps of their boss put an end to it. Collins came striding to the end of their desks, dressed in an immaculately tailored suit, and the elegant black woman took one look at them and her perpetually stern features snapped into a scowl.

"Tuck, FDR, my office, now." Her thumb jerked back with a snap, and as if the two of them were connected by wires to the gesture they both instantly jumped up and followed her.

* * *

Tuck sat in front of her casually but intently listening as she flipped open a thick case file and leveled them both with an irritated stare. "So, despite the fact that I've pulled you two for rotation, it would seem that the case you just closed might not be done quite yet."

He tilted his head, instantly catching the way that FDR's ears perked up at the comment. But both of them deferred to silence, knowing that a break in conversation with their boss was not to be interpreted as permission to say something.

Collins spun around one of the folders to show off a huge black and white photograph of a FedEx cargo plane. "This plane was bound from LAX to Moscow. It landed at the cargo terminal of Domodedovo airport a little after one in the morning local time. Two minutes after the plane landed there was a box truck that pulled up under the auspices of unloading it. We have since learned that the truck was in fact not from FedEx. Whoever it was robbed the airplane completely under the nose of the airport security. Out of the hundreds of items that were on that plane, take a wild guess what was the only thing that was taken."

Tuck scratched his chin and stared at the high-resolution black and white photographs. "I am going to guess it was another shipment of anexic eggs, Ma'am," He answered with a puzzled breath.

"That would be correct," She answered. "And once again the DOD is all over this."

FDR shifted in his chair as he shrugged, "Can I ask _why_ our government is so interested in eggs? I mean, am I missing something here? Is there suddenly going to be an omelet shortage, or are we afraid of terrorists suddenly switching to rotten egg IED's?"

Tuck shook his head, "Did you bother to read up on anything during the three months we were in Jakarta, mate?"

Collins frowned, "They are used in _vaccines_, Foster. And apparently DOD and USAMRIID are very concerned with the amount that has been shifting on the black market as of late."

"Really?"

"You do remember the whole Swine Flu and Avian Flu scares a couple years ago, the vaccinations for H1N1 that were mandatory for all agents," She pressed, the creases on her forehead becoming very pronounced as she began to get more and more irritated. Tuck could actually see the wheels turning in her dark brown eyes as she mulled over just what she was going to do to him.

"It would seem that you have a serious lack of education in this area, I expect you to remedy that- immediately." Collins looked over at Tuck with the same shrewd look, "That goes the same for you, Hansen."

"Ma'am I'm well…"

"I don't want to hear it," She interrupted sharply. "This is not going away, and I expect you both to keep abreast of what is going on. Until you can give me a dissertation on vaccination production, and the current process for production, shipping and maintaining gnotobiotic avian products I will consider you unprepared for field work."

"Yes, Ma'am," They both mumbled in unison.

"Now, get out of my office and get back to work."

* * *

FDR rubbed the back of his head as they walked the short distance from her second floor office back to their desks. "Do you think that she actually sits there at night contemplating what she's going to torture us with?"

He chuckled in response, "Nah, she's married, I'm sure it's the leftovers that she doesn't get to use at home."

His friend instantly frowned at the comment, "Don't do that, don't scare me with little quips and horror stories that Lauren is going to wait until after the wedding to turn into some sort of bloodthirsty demon."

Tuck winked, "I wouldn't worry about Lauren she's far too sweet for that. Though the hanky-panky is definitely all done, mate, get all that while you can."

"That's not funny." He pointed sharply at him. "And there is no way she's stopping that stuff, she's worse about it than I am."

"It's not funny." Tuck repeated as he stared at the clock, noticing it was already past five. "Not funny at all." His voice trailed off with a note of disappointment that was clearly audible.

It was Thursday, and he normally would have been out of work early to pick up Joe from school and take him to karate practice and then out to dinner, but Katie had informed him last night that they were going to be taking a weekend trip up to San Francisco to meet up with her new beau and he would be showing them all around the city.

Apparently she had met him on an online dating site two weeks after he'd moved out, and it was only a _slight_ slap in the face that one, she was on a dating website when he had barely walked out the door, and two, she was in a long distance relationship with this wanker when she'd left him for not being around.

He wasn't happy at all about letting his son in the presence of a man that he knew nothing about, and he made it known. But she assured him, with a roll of her eyes that they would be staying in their own hotel room and that she'd been seeing Doug for nearly a month.

In fact he'd trusted her _so_ much that he had Boyles hack her eHarmony profile this morning and gather every single piece of information that he could find on one Douglas James Whitman.

Dougie was a 35 year-old stud who had never been married, with blonde hair, blue eyes, dazzling white teeth, flawless suits, a perfect six-foot-two muscular physique, and a job as an ad-executive that netted him $550,000 a year according to his last year's tax returns. Tuck frowned as he recalled his immaculate college transcripts. He'd graduated at the top of his class from USC, and then again from Berkley.

He lived in a beautiful 4,500 square foot, two floor condo on Fisherman's Wharf overlooking the bay with a brand new BMW M3, and according to his vet bills a chocolate lab too. Damn it. He was every bit the squeaky clean little polo shirt, Dockers wearing, white picket fence life that he knew Katie wanted.

And judging by the sappy little emails they'd been sending back and forth to one another twenty times a day, it would seem that she knew it too.

An uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach that had nothing at all to do with the fact that his ex-wife was moving on with another man, and more to do with the fact that if things got serious there would come a time where the issue of moving Joe away would come up.

He didn't want his son six hours away from him. It would make it impossible for him to attend after school activities, and even weekend visits would be difficult. And unfortunately thanks to his job with the CIA he'd been forced to agree to Katie having sole custody during their original divorce decree, he merely had mandatory visitation rights. So conceivably if the time came, she'd be free to go.

That little back cloud had been hanging over his head all day.

He'd told Joe when he talked to him this afternoon that he wanted him to call him before bed to say goodnight, and that was the only thing that helped him feel a tiny bit better about the situation.

FDR shook his head, as if still trying to get the horrific thoughts of a life with no sex out of his head before he spoke and snapped Tuck out of his depressing musings, "Hey, you wanna come over for a bit since you're flying solo tonight?"

"Nah, I don't want to intrude on your dinner plans with your lovely fiance."

"Oh you won't, Lauren's going out with Trish for margaritas," He answered with a sigh. "Which means I'll get a tipsy call at ten that I need to pick her up, and if I got you there I can get her car too and save me a trip in the morning."

The mental image of the two women, Lauren's exuberant and outspoken friend especially, after a few shots of tequila was something that had him smiling and shaking his head at his friend's unfortunate, but strangely enticing misfortune. "Sounds good to me," He said with a smile, "Pizza, beer and a Chips marathon, then?"

"Christ, man," FDR scoffed, "I really need to pull your damn green card, it's training camp man, you know baseball, our national past time. If you are going to be in America you need to fall in line."

Tuck tossed his suit coat over his shoulder as he flipped off his computer and grabbed his laptop bag. "Ah, you mean that dreadfully exciting sport were they stand around for four hours? How could I have forgotten."

"Whatever," He remarked taking a quick look up at Collins' office with a grimace. "Let's get the hell out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Alright, so I had to do a little time restructuring. I think I had this set in May and then realized it wouldn't work for several reasons, so I have backed it up to March…I have also made the necessary corrections in the last two chapters…not that it's a huge deal, but my OCD requires me to have it all neatly plotted… ; )**

**So, this one was fun to write for obvious reasons…I hope you all enjoy.**

**Please keep the reviews coming…I know it is just the beginning, but I am a greedy, greedy woman, and honestly, it means the world. Thanks!**

* * *

Juliana stood in her bathroom humming with the shuffling music on her phone as she brushed her teeth and did a little multi-tasking as she quickly painted her toenails a pale pink. It had been such a long time since she actually looked forward to going out and enjoying a night with a girlfriend. She shook her head as she realized that the last time she went out like this it probably was with Lauren before she went to med-school almost seven years ago.

After rinsing out her mouth and gargling a little mouthwash, she walked into her bedroom and stared at her closet. She frowned a little when she realized that she really needed to work on her wardrobe. It was pretty pathetic. After two weeks in Southern California she only had a few sun dresses and skirts, but most of her clothes were still boxed up, jeans and sweaters from spending over a year in Alaska. She finally settled on a pretty black and white a-line dress with thick straps that fell just above her knee, a cute but conservative neckline and a thin black belt to emphasize her small waist.

A smile spread across her face as she stared at her reflection in the full length mirror in the corner of her bedroom. She had to give it to the torture yoga and the running to nowhere, it was kind of working.

Thankfully her shoes had always been something that she kept up with, even when she'd been freezing her ass off she still ordered high heels and cute shoes online. So it was no choice at all for her to pick out a delicate pair of four inch strappy heels with an ankle buckle that showed off her new polished toes. She finished her hair by pulling the curly mass into a thick ponytail and she went simple with the makeup, just a bit of eye liner, light shadow and a nude lip.

Juliana grabbed her phone and threw it in her tweed black and gray Coach bag as she checked the time; it was just a little after six- perfect.

* * *

She walked out of the small condo she was renting in the Westwood section of the city, not far from UCLA, to enjoy the almost unnatural feeling of late March weather in the seventies. It was the one teeny-tiny thing she was enjoying just a little about Los Angeles. It was a welcome change from the freezing darkness of an Alaskan winter, in fact she had been so warm lately she was nervous that her hearty New York blood was thinning by the minute, and pretty soon she'd be one of those tourists in Lake George in August that wore sweaters when the temperature dropped below sixty degrees.

Oh well, she was supposed to be trying to make the best of this, and it would be a shame if she didn't act like a California girl. Almost in response to her thoughts she slid her hand into her bag to grab an oversized pair of black sunglasses and clicked the garage door opener on her key ring to expose the ass end of the most beautiful thing she'd seen in a long time.

Juliana was generally a very practical woman, as illustrated by her modest 800 square foot rental property. It had a cute, functional kitchen with efficient, modern appliances, a little breakfast bar that overlooked a small dining room, from there opened up to a decent sized living room, and a short hallway led to her bedroom and the bathroom. It wasn't ostentatious, just clean white walls and dark hardwood floors that helped to accent the few homey nick-nacks and the myriad of family pictures she'd hung.

The one exception to her otherwise sensible living habits was the car she'd leased for her time here, a 2013 Shelby Cobra convertible, colored a rich, dark blue with a big, fat white racing stripe down the middle. Six hundred and sixty-two horses of Detroit muscle with a throaty V-8 engine and a six speed manual transmission. It was ludicrously hideous on gas and a huge pain in the ass in the bumper to bumper traffic of downtown LA, but it was all worth it for a long weekend ride through Malibu up on the pacific coast highway. Well she imagined that last part to be true; she hadn't had the time to take it out yet.

It was an admittedly odd thing for a doctor and otherwise very conservative woman to be such a gear head, but she owed that to her step-father. The man had worked for Ford for thirty years, and for the last fifteen had owned a very successful dealership in the Albany area. The entire family, Juliana included, had worked there in one capacity or another over the years, and two of her three brothers were managers there to this day. It was something that had bonded their family together, and she treasured those memories.

She hopped into her car and stared the engine, loving the loud roar and then content purr as she typed the address to the Border Grill into the built in GPS system. The black rag top smoothly slid back with just the touch of a button, and just like that she was off with the warm breeze in her hair and the sun on her skin.

* * *

The trip downtown just off of Figueroa took a little over 40 minutes, and after hunting for a parking garage for another ten, she walked into the door at seven on the dot. She took off her sunglasses and smiled at the hostess, informing her that she was meeting someone and just wanted to peek in to see if they were already waiting. It didn't take long to find Lauren waving enthusiastically at her from a corner high table in the bar area.

Juliana made her way through the already bustling restaurant to meet the smiling blonde who still looked incredible in the same red dress from earlier. They hugged tightly and she suddenly noticed that her friend wasn't alone. Another pretty blonde with bright blue eyes, who looked to be a few years older than they were, was staring at her with a very intense gaze. She was wearing a delicate purple silk top and a pair of sensible black capris, and for a moment she didn't really know how to take the way she was looking at her.

"Jules, this is my friend Trish Silman, Trish, this is my friend Juliana Marchetti, we went to college together in Georgia." Lauren supplied as she took a seat.

"Really nice to meet you," Juliana said with a smile as she extended her hand.

Trish's eyes narrowed for a second, before she shook her hand in return, "You are really cute, I mean in a way that men probably think about you in the shower. With those big blue eyes and that curly hair, you look like the Noxema girl, you know from the '90's."

"Um," She wasn't really sure how to reply to the blunt statement.

Lauren shook her head, "Don't take her seriously Jules, she doesn't really have a filter, stuff just kinda comes out of her mouth and you have to brace yourself."

"Hey, men liked that chick," Trish said with a hint of indignation in her voice, "And you should be thankful I don't have a filter, otherwise you'd still be playing Boggle and going steady with your vibrator and buying stock in Duracell."

Juliana couldn't suppress the laugh that puffed out of her mouth as the waiter showed up to take her drink order. She took one of the top-shelf margarita blanco that her companions were drinking, on the rocks with a rim of salt.

"So, Noxema cutie from college," Trish said as she finished her drink with a long swallow, "Tell me all about you."

"Oh," She said as she tapped on the shiny surface of the oak table, "Well, there's not much to tell, I grew up outside Albany, back east, big huge Italian family, went to school with Lauren, here, and that's me."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a virologist for the Centers for Disease Control, and I am currently working as an archivist here in LA, basically cataloguing current research for the FDA and other regulatory agencies and giving consultation to other doctors who are looking for assistance on their work." Juliana explained as her drink landed in front of her. She took a big sip and almost sighed at the extremely pleasant taste of fresh tart lime, sweet organic agave nectar and Patron tequila dancing on her tongue. It was insanely delicious.

"Wow," Trish said in a deadpanned tone. "I actually just fell asleep listening to that. You should just settle with calling yourself a 'hot doctor' when anyone asks about your work."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Trish. This girl is the smartest person that I have ever met; she used to spend her Thursday nights cramming for classes while the rest of us were doing keg stands in the hallway." She paused for a moment before giggling, "Well until eleven, then she'd party like an animal and drink us under the table for exactly two hours and then go back to it."

"Now there we go hot doctor, I knew there was something behind those innocent baby blues that screamed 'I'm a nasty dirty freak'." Trish smiled with a laugh. "I think I like you."

Juliana smiled at the blunt woman, she was exactly like her sister Antonia and her mother, and it made her just a touch homesick. "Thanks for that, so what about you?"

"I am even more boring than you, which I know is tough to imagine, I'm a stay-at-home mother of two happily married to a fat ridiculous man named Bob that I have sex with every Wednesday night at nine after I put the kids to bed." She answered with a smirk as she raised her glass in the air, "While drinking cheap wine and eating Cheetos."

"That is interesting," Juliana replied as Lauren smiled down at the generously sized diamond ring on her finger. "But I think I want to hear about the guy that has my old friend all googly-eyed over there. It's not that guy you started dating senior year is it?"

Lauren made a disgusted face, "Ugh, _Steve_, no. I followed him out here like four years ago, and he legit waits until I move all my stuff out here, uproot my entire life, to turn around and sleep with our pilates instructor after seven months."

Juliana made a face as she took a long pull off her drink, Trish vocalized her sentiment a moment later, "He's an asshole, and we are moving on in conversation."

"Yes, thank you," Lauren said gesturing with her hands to her friend. "So anyway, this one here sets me up on an internet dating website and long,_ painful_ story short, I met my fiancé FDR."

Juliana tilted her head completely puzzled, "His name is FDR?"

"Well Franklin Foster, but he really hates being called Franklin," She explained excitedly as she reached into her purse to grab her phone and flipped through the photos before handing it over, "Here he is, isn't he hot? I can ask that right? That's not weird?"

Juliana took her iphone and stared at a candid portrait of Lauren and a guy in an impeccably tailored light grey suit. He _was_ hot. Just like the girl in front of her he was an image of tall, well-built, blonde haired, blue-eyed, all-American guy next door. Even from the small image she could see his million dollar smile and she could tell just from his body language that he had a personality big enough to handle her bubbly friend. She handed back her phone with a nod, "No that is not weird at all, and he is definitely really hot, Lauren, good job girl. What does he do for a living?"

"Oh," She breathed as she put her phone away, "He's a, um, he's a cruise ship captain. Which is pretty cool, I mean he travels a bit for his job, but I don't really mind because I love my job, I'm the manager of the product testing division at SmartConsumer."

"It's not because she loves her job, it's because they fuck 24/7, and he gets really horny before he leaves and after he comes home," Trish supplied, "Which I hate her for."

Maybe it was the margarita that she was almost finished drinking on an empty stomach, but the words were beginning to sound less and less blunt and more like normal conversation, she merely shook her head and licked a bit of the coarse salt off of her glass. "Are we going to get anything to eat?" She asked absently, "Because if I drink another one of these without anything I am going to be sleeping on the table."

"We always get the same thing," Trish explained, "A big ass vat of guacamole, it comes with fresh tortilla chips, and a huge plate of skirt steak nachos, it's a ton of food."

"That sounds awesome."

* * *

It was another half hour until the food arrived and they ordered another round of margaritas before they dug in. Through bites of creamy, garlicky guacamole and delicious molten, cheesy nachos, the three women chatted companionably about the different people that were walking by the restaurant. When there was a lull in the conversation Juliana finally wiped her fingers on her napkin and reached out to pull over Lauren's hand so she could get a good look at her diamond engagement ring.

It was gorgeous. A very classic looking square two karat cushion cut solitaire with two rectangular baguettes on either side of it, set on a shiny platinum band. It was stand-out and understated at the same time on her petite hand, it was Lauren in a nutshell.

Juliana could feel herself getting a slight bit of disappointed nostalgia and she made the mistake of sighing audibly as she smiled at her friend. "That is really stunning, Lauren I am so happy for you. When's the wedding?"

"June 15th, we have this place picked out in Napa Valley, called the Geyserville Inn, it is beautiful. It has its own vineyard, and there are these cute little cottages that guests can rent. It's going to be really small, probably like thirty people at the most." She paused for a second and her eyes went wide, "We are going up there in a couple weeks to put our final payment down and spend the weekend, you should come! I mean I totally want you to be at the wedding now that I know you are in LA. I mean it's just a few of us going, you don't have to, but I really, really want you to."

"Oh," She answered as she sipped her drink, "I don't want to put you out. I mean I'd love to come, of course, but I don't want to be the annoying tagalong."

Trish, who had been strangely silent during the whole conversation loudly sucked the last of her third drink through her straw as she narrowed her eyes again and cocked her head to the side. "So, hot doctor, and that's my nickname for you from now on by the way, I have to ask, are you touching any particular penises on a regular basis?"

"Trish!" Lauren giggled loudly.

"I have a point to this, I swear," She replied raising her hands defensively. "I want to know if you are seeing anyone."

Juliana frowned, "Um, no, definitely not. I was engaged, but we broke up a year ago." She reflexively took a huge sip of her drink before she continued, knowing that it was definitely the tequila that was talking now, and it was probably best to switch to water after this so she could drive home in a little bit. "We met in med-school, and we both got a job at the CDC after graduation. But he decided that monogamy wasn't really his thing, so, that is that. I have been single ever since."

And that was all she had to say about that…period.

Trish stared pointedly at Lauren for a few seconds, and finally the petite blonde's face went from completely puzzled to very excited in an instant. "Wow, now that is just too perfect." She beamed with an eager smile.

Juliana frowned and pointed back and forth between them, "I know what's going on here, and I'm not doing any internet dating."

"God no," Trish scoffed, "You could end up a skin suit or something."

Lauren animatedly hit the table and stared at her friend with wide eyes, "Really!?"

"It's true; you have no idea who you'll meet on those things."

"I'm ignoring you," She said to her friend before turning to Juliana, "Can I introduce you to someone?"

It sounded like a really innocuous question, and knowing Lauren for as long as she had she was probably in really good hands, but there was another part of her that just wanted to scream and run away. No one ever had good experiences with being "set up" with a friend of a friend. At best you have a decent meeting, realize that you are completely incompatible and manage to maintain awkward future conversations, and at worst you now have to spend what should be enjoyable outings with friends running away from someone.

"I don't know," Juliana answered honestly. "That never goes well."

"Yeah, see I get that, and normally I'd agree with you," Trish interrupted signaling the waiter for another round. "But this one, I swear to God, one look at him and you will slide off your chair on a wet snail trail."

She could feel the blush rising up in her cheeks at the outlandish comment, "That good huh?"

"Let me put it to you this way," Trish smirked, "If I wasn't happily married I would be permanently camped out on this guy's face."

Lauren bit her lip and tried to suppress her giggles, "You really are special. Anyway, Jules, he's the sweetest guy too, just really earnest, and genuine, not to mention really intelligent."

"Translation, he's boring and hot just like you." Trish finished as she looked over at Lauren, "You should call them right now and invite them out, they aren't doing anything but eating pizza and scratching their balls in front of the TV, you and I both know that."

Her first instinct was to say "no thanks", but there was a louder voice in her head that was controlled by the tequila and the left over conversations she'd had with her mother and her sisters over the past year that echoed just a little bit louder. It was those voices that reminded her that by closing herself off to feeling because of what Gregg had done, she was only hurting herself. And after all this time she really missed the feeling of looking at someone and getting that funny feeling in her stomach. What did she have to lose?

"Yeah," She finally answered out loud, praying to God that she wouldn't regret this moment of tequila filled bravery, "You should call him."

"Alright!" Trish yelled out, drawing stares from most of the bar, "That's what I'm talkin' about; you get up on it and work it, hot doctor!"

Juliana covered her face with her hands and she shook her head, "Can you _please_ not call me that when they show up."

* * *

Tuck was impatiently sprawled on the comfortable white couch in Lauren's place a little before eight-thirty, still waiting for his son's phone call. He was completely zoned out and not paying attention whatsoever to whatever meaningless baseball game FDR was watching on television. He'd asked her to have him call; it wasn't exactly an outlandish request considering that he had allowed his son to be in the presence of a man that he'd never met. He rested his head on the back of the couch with a sigh just as FDR's phone rang.

"You've got to be kidding me, they've been there for an hour and a half, what are they mainlining the stuff?" He laughed as he answered. "Hey, baby, you need a ride already?"

Tuck watched as his friend's eyes lit up with a dangerous bit of mischief that he had come to know very well over the years, something was up.

"That sounds great baby, we'll be right there, I love you too."

FDR hung up the phone and jumped off the couch, punching at Tuck's thigh in an affectionate charley horse. "Come on Tuck, Tuck, let's go, our presence has been requested by the ladies."

Tuck sighed with a shrug of his shoulders, "I think I'm all set with going out on the town, mate. I'll probably just head home and call it a night."

"Yeah, I got it; you want to go home so you can talk to Joe and then wallow. Not happening, man, you are coming out with me for a couple drinks."

The patronizing insinuation in the words, combined with his already frazzled nerves was enough to genuinely irritate the shit out of him. A frown settled on his full lips and he couldn't control the pissy tone that leaked into his voice, "Well I am truly sorry to wallow, Franklin, because there would be nothing that will take my mind off the fact that my ex-wife is out of town with my son and her new boy toy than to spend some time with you and your lovely fiancé. Oh, and let's not forget her married friend, who will no doubt make some sort of obvious comment to further illustrate the pathetic state of my love life by commenting on the fact that the only romantic company that I've had in the last few months has been with my right hand."

FDR's generous eyebrows shot up at his reply and he shook his head, "Alright, now you are just bumming me out, man. There is no way I am leaving you behind now. Just come out for one drink and loosen up a little, and then you can go right home, and I promise to keep Trish on a leash."

It was pointless to even try to argue at this point, Tuck knew when he'd been beaten. "Fine," He sighed with a grumble, "_One_ drink and then I am going home, and I do hope you have a choke chain, an electric collar and a muzzle, because I don't think there is a leash in existence that can contain that woman's mouth."

"Alright!" FDR clapped as he grabbed his car keys and walked to the door. He suddenly stopped and turned back at his friend with a puzzled look on his face, "Just your right hand?"

"Honestly, Franklin, can we please get going." Tuck groaned as he gestured impatiently to the door for them both to leave, "And no, I just prefer it for some reason."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry for the delay…the muse was all about this today!**

**So, we have our first meet up! **

**As always, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

Like any sort of spur of the moment alcohol fueled bravery, Juliana regretted her mouth as the minutes passed. She tried to sit there and smile and not have a complete nervous breakdown, but it was getting more and more difficult. She didn't even know what she was thinking. She'd made Lauren call her fiancé, and he was bringing his friend.

Her fiancé was bringing his friend, who was also a male, an available male from the information that she'd been given- and worse yet- an available male who was supposed to be _insanely_ attractive. Great, that was just what she needed.

Juliana sipped her water daintily as she picked at the cooling plate of nachos, trying to calm her racing mind. It wasn't like she was a woman who was lacking in self-confidence, in fact she was known for being self-assured and assertive in every aspect of her life. And depending on the family member she was occasionally known as a know-it-all-bitch from time to time as well. But after what happened a year ago, she had almost zero self-esteem where men were concerned. She hadn't been on one single date since she'd left Atlanta…oh God, what was she thinking.

"Hello?!" Trish's fingers snapped in front of her face and she nearly fell out of her chair as she focused back on the two blonde women that she was sitting with. They were both looking at her with identical amused smiles; well Lauren's looked amused, and Trish's looked sort of diabolical.

"What?" She asked feeling self conscious for a moment.

"I was just asking if you wanted to know anything about him," Lauren laughed, "You were like completely tuned out there for a minute."

Juliana could feel her cheeks getting red and she was thankful for the dim lighting in the bar, "Oh, yeah, I'm sorry," She said quietly. "I haven't dated in a really long time; I'm not very good at it. I think I'm petrified." She tried to manage a smile, but there was a moment of painful clench in her stomach at the realization that she should have been married last summer. She angrily cursed at the tears that she could feel start to come up into her eyes; he was still hurting her, after all this time.

"Wow," Trish said seriously as she shook her head. "It really is scary. You are like the female version of him."

"I doubt he's this neurotic," She sighed waving the waiter over for another round of drinks, she really needed one.

"Tuck?" Lauren smiled, "Yeah he's Captain Neurotic, actually."

Juliana scrunched her nose, "His name's Tuck?"

"Well, it's his nickname. His real name is John; I think his middle name is Tucker." Lauren explained. "You know, I've never actually asked him about it. Come to think about it, I have no idea where FDR came from either."

"Anyways, he's British," Trish added with a wince.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Juliana asked as her face started to glow red.

She had one Achilles heel, and that was a man with a nice accent. British, Irish, Australian…even a smooth Southern twang,_ God_ she'd loved listening to those Georgia boys in college. She'd dated one rough and tumble country boy who worked as a mechanic at a local garage for a few months her junior year just for his gruff accented voice alone…well, that and the way his arms looked in a cutoff sleeveless shirt.

But before she could get an answer, Trish slapped her hard on the shoulder as two men walked in front of the glass window of the bar. She somewhat recognized the tall form of what must have been Lauren's fiancé, and another man a few inches shorter that looked to be on the phone. Her suspicions were confirmed a few moments later when a very good looking man in a navy button down shirt and designer jeans strode to the table and gave her friend a steamy look and a very, very enthusiastic kiss. Part of her wanted to turn away and give them their privacy, because her face was definitely not returning to a normal color at the public display of affection, but another part of her was insanely jealous and happy that her old friend had obviously found the love of her life.

Lauren finally pulled away from his kiss with a beaming smile and a suggestive incline to her eyebrow, "Babe, this is my friend Juliana Marchetti from college that I was telling you about this afternoon, Juliana this is my fiancé Franklin Foster."

Juliana smiled and then practically got lost in two of the bluest eyes that she had ever seen, that picture on her phone did him absolutely no justice at all. He grinned at her with a perfect white smile and slid a sly wink in for good measure as he looked her over from head to toe and extended his hand, "Well it's nice to meet you Juliana, call me FDR."

She shook his hand firmly, "Very nice to meet you too."

He nonchalantly pulled a chair from one of the other tables and saddled up next to Lauren, leaving an empty chair next to Juliana. He threw his arm across the back of her friend's chair as he fixed her with a nod, "I gotta say Jules, you are definitely an improvement over the company my girl usually keeps."

Trish took the jibe in stride; her deadpanned reply was out so fast it was as if she'd already had it saved. "Wow, you are _so_ smart _and_ funny Franklin. Can you manage to pick up that big menu to order a drink, or do I have to get you a smaller one to make sure you can hold onto it?"

"Ouch," He grimaced, "You win, down girl."

She looked very happy with herself as she stared towards the door, "Where's your boyfriend anyway, he's the only reason we wanted you to show up?"

FDR rolled his eyes, "He called Joe to say goodnight on the way here and the harpy picked up. It was a fun car ride."

Juliana was trying not to eavesdrop, she absently sipped at her drink, but she was very interested. Trish caught her look and instantly felt the need to explain in the blunt way that she was getting used to, "Joe's his son, he's eight and adorable, and the harpy is his ex-wife Katie. She's an evil devil bitch who doesn't understand the concept of loyalty and love in a marriage that we all hope falls down the stairs."

"Trish," Lauren scolded, "That is awful."

"Well maybe falling down the stairs is a bit much," FDR mused as he flagged the waiter down and ordered two glasses of smooth 5 year-old anejo tequila on the rocks. "Maybe she just trips and falls into traffic and gets hit by a bus." Lauren swatted him hard and he laughed, "What, babe!?"

"Be nice," She giggled.

"I am," He replied as he looked over at Juliana suddenly, his playful gaze getting a noticeable hardness to it as he stared her down. "That's not a deal breaker is it? That he's got a kid and is divorced?"

Juliana tilted her head honestly confused at his change in demeanor, "Why would that matter? I mean we're not dating, and even if we were dating, the likelihood of finding a man in his 30's without a prior marriage or children is very rare, so I would never hold that against anyone. If we were dating, that is, but I haven't even met him yet. So it seems a bit early to worry about that- but it wouldn't matter…if I was."

Oh God, she was rambling and she sounded like an absolute airhead moron.

He smiled at her visibly flustered state, "Just making sure. He's a sensitive one, that guy. I gotta watch out for him, he's family."

"That's really nice," She said, trying to relax as FDR and Lauren's eyes suddenly moved from her face to over her shoulder.

* * *

"Yes, well I don't find it appropriate that my son is sleeping in a strange man's house Katie," Tuck snapped sharply as he tried to keep his temper in check and failing. He was standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant after arguing with his ex-wife for the entire half-hour drive from Lauren's place, and he was one minute from calling a cab, getting in his car and driving to San Francisco to get Joe himself.

He'd finally called him after being sick of waiting and the first thing he learned when Katie picked up the phone was that they were "out to dinner" at almost nine at night, well past his bed time, and after a few more minutes it was revealed that something mysterious had happened to their hotel reservations and they would both be sleeping at Doug's condo.

Now a year ago he would have meekly kept to his cover and cowed to whatever ridiculous thing she'd done, but no longer. He wasn't hiding who he was behind a lie; his cover would have to bend to who he was. He wasn't living his life like that any longer.

"Look, Tuck, I don't see what your problem is," She said curtly.

"You don't see what my problem is?" He repeated slowly. "You are sleeping at a strange man's house, I can only presume_ not_ on the couch, and my eight year old son will be there. It's completely inappropriate."

"Well, I don't ask you about the company that you keep at your place and I'd appreciate the same."

He scoffed angrily, "I don't have company at my place when my son is there." Truthfully he didn't have any company at all, ever, but that wasn't the point. The point was if she wanted a weekend to screw around with her boy toy she should have left Joe with him.

"I'm not talking about this anymore, Tuck." She finally said, he could tell that she must have walked back inside wherever she was, "Do you want to talk to Joe or not."

"Of course I do."

There was a juggling of the phone and suddenly his son's voice filled the receiver, "Hey, Dad."

It was killing him. Tuck took a deep breath as he buried his hand into the pocket of his leather coat trying to keep a smile in his voice when he spoke, "Hey Spudley, how's it goin'?"

"It's goin' I guess," Joe answered quietly. "I missed going to dinner with you tonight like always and getting pasta and meatballs."

"I missed it too," He said with a smile, "I had to settle with going to dinner with Lauren and Uncle Frank."

"Tell them I said hi."

"I will."

He could hear Katie's muffled voice and another, deeper sound that must have been her boyfriend. Joe took a deep breath and sighed, "I gotta go, Dad, Mom says our table is ready."

"Alright, I love you, son," Tuck said. "Call me tomorrow night, okay."

"'kay, Dad, I love you."

The phone went dead and Tuck pulled it from his ear with a sigh. He really didn't want to come out when Franklin had first invited him, but after dealing with his ex-wife and having to hear Joe's melancholy made him actually glad he'd accepted. He needed a damn drink; a nice strong one would do bloody perfectly. He turned around to look into the window of the small Mexican place to see FDR and Lauren sitting together at a high round table with Trish, and another person. He wasn't sure who it was from the back, probably one of Lauren's friends from work.

With a sigh he pulled open the door and walked in.

* * *

"Here he is!" FDR loudly said with a smile.

Juliana's heart was in her throat and for a second she contemplated shooting the rest of her drink in one huge mouthful, but as she turned to look at the newest member of their dinner party she was infinitely glad that she didn't. Because there was no way that she wouldn't have choked on it or spit it out all over the place.

He was…there really wasn't a single vocabulary word that did him justice, and she'd gotten a perfect 800 on the verbal section of the SAT.

_Gorgeous_, was the first word that came to mind. He wasn't very much taller than she was, she was guessing maybe 5'10'', but even with the vintage leather jacket he was wearing she could tell that he had an incredible body. Nice wide shoulders and a trim waist.

But that word didn't really cover his eyes. They were _beautiful_, a strange almost pewter grey with hints of blue. And although the color was what she noticed first, it was the emotion that she could see behind them that really interested her. They seemed open, calm, gentle, kind and good God, what they must look like when filled with feeling…so much different than what she had known.

Then there was his mouth. That was just a whole other topic…his lips were plump, full and looked pillow soft, almost delicate. It would have been feminine, if it wasn't for the rugged and incredibly masculine set of his strong jaw and the dusting of a few days scruff that covered his face. The scar in his eyebrow was another interesting clue, and his brown hair was neatly trimmed, longish on the top with just enough product in it to show he somewhat cared what he looked like.

It took her a moment to realize that he was staring at her, and he smiled warmly. "Hello, there."

Oh GOD.

If there was a moment where the entire world was ever filled with a cliché movie moment of two people meeting, this _had_ to be it. His voice was _amazing_. Deep, almost husky, but smooth too…like a strong whisky mellowed out with a bit of honey. It seemed to flow into her ears and travel quickly down her spine to settle right between her legs with a little tingle, waking up a part of her that had been completely dormant for far too long.

Juliana suddenly snapped out of her complete stupor when she heard Lauren giggle from across the table. She realized that she had to look like a complete and utter idiot, and her face was glowing red with embarrassment. She quickly tried to compose herself and remember that at last check she was a doctor with several advanced degrees and generally considered to be extremely intelligent in normal situations.

"Hi," Was all that she managed to say in an exhale.

"Hey, Tuck," Lauren said cheerfully, "Glad you could join us."

"Wouldn't miss it, love," He answered as he stood by the vacant chair.

"This is my good friend from college, Juliana Marchetti," She added with a smile, "Juliana this is Tuck Hansen."

"Pleased to meet you," He said as he turned his face to her again, extending a hand.

She took it gently, marveling that at the way his strong hand enveloped hers with just the perfect amount of calloused skin to show that he still did something with his hands from time to time, but enough softness to know that he didn't use them for labor.

"You as well," She managed to finally answer. He was still staring at her, and she was so flustered she couldn't stare back, so she settled on focusing on the table in front of her like a fool.

"So," Trish started with a sly smile, "How are you tonight, James Bond?"

Tuck slid off his leather coat and draped it across the back of his chair before he climbed up and got settled, fixing the blonde woman with an incline of his eyebrow. "I'm _lovely_, Trish, thanks for asking."

"Don't want to point out the obvious," She added with a nod, "But uh, Lauren's friend here is single and new to LA. You should take her for a nice ride and then, you know, show her the sights or something. She's a doctor, and not a raging bitch judging by the nice little chat we've been having for the last hour. So I think you'll be safe."

"Ah," He said with a shake of his head. "Now the reason for this whole evening comes into remarkable clarity."

There was a note of amusement and exasperation in his tone, and for a moment Juliana wasn't sure if he was disappointed with the fact that their friends had tried to set him up with her or not. It was obvious that he was stunning to look at, and his ex-wife was probably equally gorgeous, one of those made-in-a-factory California girls that looked like living Barbie dolls. And here she was with her three year old dress, her puffy curls and pasty white skin…yeah he was disappointed.

She took a deep breath to calm down and instead of making things better, it became a million times worse. Her mind was flying at a million miles an hour as she registered the fact that if it was possible he smelled even better than he looked. Musk and spice, and something sweet…her blue eyes darted over to notice that when he shed his coat he was left in a plain white t-shirt that confirmed her earlier assessment of his body was true by the way it snugly hung on his arms and across his chest. His biceps were toned and his skin had a nice little kiss of sun…and there were tattoos…oh GOD, Achilles heel number two.

She was losing it.

Thankfully the waiter showed up a minute later with the drinks that FDR had ordered and it gave her the precious time she needed to regain her senses and take a much needed drink of water to quench her sandpapery throat.

Trish, however, was not finished speaking. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him, "So, what, you aren't happy that I had Lauren call you out here so you could meet a hot doctor?" Juliana's face was seriously on fire and she shot her a look that was somewhere between mortification and death glare.

"I don't recall saying that," Tuck answered with a laugh. "I just find it interesting that not one of the three of you thought to tell me that I was going to meet this lovely woman so I could perhaps change into something a little more presentable; first impressions and all that."

"I don't think that's a problem," Lauren sighed as she sipped her drink.

"Nope not a problem from what I'm seeing," FDR said with a sly smile.

"Seriously," Trish added, "I think 'hot doctor' here might need a mop for underneath her chair."

Tuck shook his head and Juliana covered her face, "This isn't happening." She grumbled with a sigh.

* * *

After the whole Lauren fiasco, Tuck had sworn off online dating and was definitely against being set up, he was determined that he would have his own fate in his hands from now on. But as the evening wore on he was genuinely happy for the fact that Trish was obnoxious, and FDR and Lauren were like meddling old folks, because her friend was absolutely lovely.

Granted it had taken him a minute to get her to relax and talk to him, but that was charming him as well. It was refreshing to see a woman blush for a change with a little modesty, and when she finally spoke; there was no doubt of her intelligence either. And that was something he found extremely sexy.

Beauty _and_ brains, she was as much of a rarity as Lauren had been. But Juliana seemed to be even more so. She was striking, that much was obvious, and it was nice to see a girl who didn't look like all the others in Southern California.

She was decently tall, he'd wager almost as tall as he was in those pretty heels she had strapped to her feet, and she seemed to have a nice figure- curvy and fit judging by the shapely legs that were crossed gracefully at the knee. It displayed her ivory colored skin quite nicely. Even from where he was sitting it looked so pale and smooth, it must feel like satin, and it was obvious that wherever she had been living before she didn't spend time in the sun. Her hair was a cascade of thick brown curls that seemed to flow out of the ponytail on the top of her head, but some had escaped, along her neck and forehead in tendrils that drew his eyes. But her face was what truly caught his attention.

She had an open and honest feel that hung in her big, blue eyes, and the strong Roman nose that would have looked silly on some seemed to perfectly fit her and give her an almost classical beauty. Her lips were flushed a deep pink like the rest of her from time to time, and they seemed expressive as she calmly explained that she was a virologist who worked for the CDC as an archivist and researcher.

He found himself having to lean in to talk to her, because with the other three speaking at foghorn volume at the table it was not an easy feat to have a chat. But he wagered that was part of the plan so they would need to meet up again in a more appropriate conversational environment, and at the moment, he certainly didn't mind that prospect in the least.

"What is it that you do for a living?" She asked with another pleasant smile that had him smiling back on reflex alone.

Tuck could see FDR's ears instantly perk up at the conversation, and he was quite sure that his "occupation" had most likely been discussed with her already. He took a deep breath, hating that once again his life would be presented as a complete fabrication.

"Ah, I'm a travel agent, actually, more business development than sales," He explained with a sigh. "So I travel quite a bit."

"Is that how you met FDR?"

"Yes," He said with a nod. "We've known one another for quite some time." He trailed off with the natural hope that she wouldn't pry any more into it, and just like clockwork his friend picked up on the cue.

"Hey, Jules," FDR loudly spoke from across the table. "Give me something on my girl from her wild college days."

Lauren frowned instantly and narrowed her eyes, "I did not have wild college days, for your information I was on the Dean's List."

Juliana laughed and tried to ignore the fact that Tuck's warm, solid, jean clad thigh was touching her dangling leg at the calf. She bit her lip and looked at her friend in the eye; it was time for a little payback.

"I don't know what there is to tell you that you probably don't already know. She's a gymnast and the girl could to a keg stand like a champ…oh, yeah, she liked to flash her boobs from our fourth floor balcony to traffic after too many Jell-o shots."

Lauren's face went bright red and FDR's eyebrows jumped up to his hairline as a huge smile cracked across his face, "Looks like we are stopping at the grocery store on the way home."

"I can't believe you said that!" She said with a show of mock indignation.

Trish smiled, "See I _knew_ you were exciting once upon a time."

"I wasn't alone on that balcony, Jules," Lauren chided as she sipped her drink.

Juliana could see Tuck staring at her out of the corner of her eye, and the fact that he seemed very interested in the direction of the conversation was definitely a plus. She was feeling strangely comfortable for a change in her own skin for the first time in a _long_ time, and she figured why the hell not. "Nope, you weren't, Steph and Kara were with you."

Lauren rolled her eyes and Juliana laughed as the conversation picked up again when Trish took notice of a young couple on the street that were practically swallowing each other's faces. She was making another zinger of a one liner that was probably hysterical, but it fell on deaf ears when Tuck leaned in close and casually smiled at her, his full lips forming around an incredibly sexy tone as he spoke quietly.

"I've never been more envious of a drunken college frat-boy."

Juliana blushed and looked down at the table again, unable to meet his eyes. "I suppose I should be flattered, if I wasn't absolutely mortified with my past behavior."

He laughed quietly and shook his head, "No need to feel like that; a bit of foolishness in youth is what makes interesting adults."

"That's a very convenient theory at a time like this," She said as she finished her drink, smiling and finally giving herself permission to look him in the eye. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome," He answered as he took a healthy swallow of the amber tequila in his glass.

* * *

The place closed at 11pm, and it took the group a half-hour to leave as a result of discussing who would pay the check. Both Tuck and FDR insisted as gentleman it fell to them, and Juliana insisted that it was inappropriate because if she knew she wasn't paying, she would have been more frugal with her choices.

"Well, how about this," FDR said as they walked out the door into the street, "If you are so concerned about the financial burden that you have put on my friend here, you should take him to dinner tomorrow night to make it even."

Juliana held her purse as the entire group seemed to stare at her for a moment. "Um, sure, I mean that would be fair."

"Excellent," He answered with a clap.

"Well, I gotta go," Trish yawned staring at her watch. "If I'm lucky I'll get home and Bob with already have jerked off for the night and I can go to bed without having to give him a blow job." She kissed Lauren and Juliana was surprised when she leaned over to kiss her on the cheek as well. "Call me tomorrow Lauren, and it was nice to meet you 'hot doctor' I'm sure I'll see you soon. We can talk about what Harry Potter here looks like naked."

Juliana shook her head, amazed that she somehow must have managed to reach her mortification quota for the evening because the comments didn't even phase her. "Have a good night, Trish; it was very nice to meet you."

She walked away and Lauren's smile was the next thing she saw, her friend held out her arms and they embraced in a tight hug. "It was so good to see you tonight sweetie. We have to go shopping or something this weekend."

"That sounds awesome," Juliana answered as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I am definitely in need of some sunny LA weather clothes, badly."

She smiled at FDR as Lauren stepped away and snuggled into her fiance's side, "It was really nice to meet you."

"Likewise," He winked playfully, "Have a good night."

The couple walked away after their goodbyes with Tuck and suddenly the two of them found themselves standing in front of the closed restaurant alone. It took her a moment to rationalize that the two men must have driven Tuck's vehicle so FDR would be free to drive Lauren home afterwards. She stared at him and noticed that he was standing quietly with his hands in his jeans pockets as if waiting for her to say something. Part of her wanted to laugh out loud; maybe he _was_ as neurotic as she was.

"I'm in the parking garage a few blocks down," She explained with an absent gesture.

"Can I walk you there?" He asked as his hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "I don't like the idea of a lady walking alone at night in the city."

"Sure," She replied as she bit her lip, "Thank you."

It wasn't more than a quiet ten minutes before they were standing at the driver's door of her Cobra. She could feel her pulse roaring in her ears as she stared at him in the bright artificial light in the parking garage, he wasn't saying anything, but it felt like there was a huge elephant in the room. "Do you need me to give you a ride to your car?" She finally asked quietly.

Tuck shook his head, "No, I'm only the next floor up, thank you though." He paused for a second before he smiled, his plump lips sliding up in one corner as he shook his head. "You don't owe me a meal either; that was Franklin just being Franklin."

"Oh," Juliana was shocked that her disappointed reply was out of her mouth before she could even think about it. "Um, of course, we don't have to go. I just wanted to offer because it was the right thing to do, because you paid for me tonight. "

He paused, staring at her with his grey eyes strangely intense, but his smile remained, "That's not what I meant at all. I'd still love to have dinner with you tomorrow night, if you are interested, I'm afraid I just can't let you pay for it."

She couldn't stop the blush on her face as she smiled back at him and absently tucked a loose one of her curls behind her ear, "I'd like that, though the issue of the check isn't resolved."

"May I have your phone number? And, unfortunately, if you are with me I am afraid the check issue will continue."

Juliana nodded as she said it quietly and he typed it into his phone. An uncontrollable feeling of butterflies and nerves pleasantly tickled her stomach as she watched him save it. How long had it been since she'd given a man her phone number? God, it had to be close to six years.

Tuck slipped his phone back into his pocket, "Can we say seven at your place? I'll call you at lunch tomorrow to get your address."

"That sounds great, I usually eat around one," She answered feeling the butterflies multiply into a flock of eagles as he suddenly stepped closer. His spicy cologne was starting to fill her nose and she couldn't think straight, she was unable to do anything but stand there and _breathe_. Juliana froze, her eyes falling closed for a moment and her hands balled into fists from nerves as he leaned over and placed the barest kiss against her cheek with his soft mouth.

"Have a good night, Juliana," Tuck said in a low whisper as he turned and walked off.

"You too," She managed to exhale in a trembling voice as she unlocked her car, got in and shut the door. Her head fell back on the seat and her eyes slid shut as she tried to get herself to stop shaking so she could drive home, but try as she might she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Her phone beeped loudly and she reached into her bag to fish it out from the bottom, laughing when she realized it was from Lauren.

_I told you!_

Her answer was just as simple, but somehow conveyed the incredible maelstrom of wonderful emotions that were swirling around in her head and in her gut at the moment.

_Thank you._


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Little Tuesday present for you all! I apologize for the slower than normal updates…damn busy season at work. But I promise to do a little something everyday…okay? **

**And to those lovelies who review as a guest…get an account so I can properly thank you…it's free! (And Ms. Sarah M…it may make me write faster ; ) )**

**So without further ado…a little morning after where not too much happens…**

**Enjoy! And please, those who have faved and followed, please leave a review or a message…love ya!**

* * *

For the first time in months Tuck had a bounce in his step when he walked into the office a little after eight in the morning. He was early, which was normal, and as he slung his grey suit coat over the back of his chair, he smiled at the empty desk across from him.

FDR wouldn't be in until 8:45… at least. He sat in his chair and booted up his computer as he sipped at the take out coffee he'd gotten at Starbucks on the way in. For once his partner's constant tardiness worked in his favor; it would give him just the opportunity he needed to do a little research in peace.

It didn't take him long to sort through the CDC's directory, and thanks to the PATRIOT Act he was able to obtain enough information on one Juliana Anita Marchetti to compile a rather thorough background check. Thankfully there were no outstanding warrants and she wasn't on a watch list of any sort, so that put him at ease… never can be too safe these days.

She had a normal, albeit distinguished academic record, graduating Suma cum Laude from the University of Georgia, before doing the same five years later from the University of Pennsylvania. From what he could see, the CDC recruited her right out of school and she relocated to Atlanta again.

She worked in Atlanta at the center's headquarters for a year or so before she was transferred up to Anchorage to work in their experimental virology and immunology department, and she had been there until she was transferred to LA almost two-and-a-half weeks ago. Well, living in Alaska certainly accounted for that flawless, creamy, pale complexion of hers.

Tuck's eyebrows rose in surprise when he scrolled down the screen and saw the number of hits that her name had received from the Library of Congress archives. The woman had to have at least twenty papers and medical journal articles published about various subjects in the field of virology and immunology.

So she _was_ as brilliant as she was beautiful, and as a bonus she no doubt knew about vaccines. This could be a Godsend in more ways than one. Because quite frankly the research that he was doing under Collins' not so subtle suggestion was nearly impossible to decipher. He considered himself to be a reasonably intelligent individual, but he literally sat in bed last night with his tablet reading over a very rudimentary University textbook on the subject and he had gotten absolutely nowhere. He'd had to resort to Googling every third word on the page and by the end of one paragraph he had no clue what he'd spent the previous hour reading.

Of course the fact that he couldn't get the pretty doctor with the ivory skin and her flushed cheeks out of his mind didn't help things either.

But maybe she'd help him.

Sure, because plenty of bloody travel agents are interested in the scientific process for the manufacture and distribution of vaccines.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here Mr. Stalky Stalkington?" FDR's amused voice suddenly came from directly behind him and Tuck jumped a foot in surprise, almost falling out of his chair as he turned around with a scowl on his face.

"Do you mind, Franklin?" He snapped as he closed out of the page, taking one last look at her professional headshot that had been featured in the _Virology Journal_ the past January.

"I _don't _actually," FDR replied with a smirk as he walked to the side of his desk and leaned against it. "I'm really enjoying the fact you have finally have a prospect worth stalking in your life again."

"Well, I was merely looking into a bit of her background so we could have decent conversation for our date this evening," Tuck said with a casual hand gesture. "I wanted to be educated." His excuse was not even remotely believable, and as a sly grin came across his face, FDR smiled as well.

"I'm happy for ya man, she's good looking, and smart from what I heard from Lauren's margarita filled circular talking the entire way home last night."

"She's bloody brilliant," He replied with a sigh, his voice trailing off. Suddenly out of nowhere a nagging feeling tugged at his stomach, memories of things that Lauren had said to Trish while they were both eavesdropping during the whole date war fiasco. "Do you think I need to try to work on the whole 'nice guy' bit? I mean it's not like I haven't been called 'safe and boring' before, mate, and Ms. Marchetti certainly seems quite a bit like Lauren."

FDR frowned, "You need to be _yourself_, man. You are a good guy, and you'll get a good girl. Why is it that I am giving you the pep-talk anyway, when I clearly remember _you_ telling _me_ exactly what you want in a woman while I was trying to eat my cake in peace some time ago?"

Tuck shrugged his shoulders, "Well, let's be honest, I've had shit luck with women and relationships. First Katie, then Lauren, then Katie _again_, it's not exactly a history to be proud of. There comes a point where it's obvious what the problem is."

"Alright, cut the crap. Katie and you didn't work because you gave 100% and she gave nothing…both times you were with her, and Lauren, well, honestly, you were up against _me_." The second part of his explanation was said with just enough emphasis to be intentionally amusing, and it was certainly taken that way.

FDR finally walked around to his chair and sat down with a dramatic plop as he raised his eyebrow at his friend, "And besides you didn't see the way she was looking at you. After thirty seconds last night, I am pretty sure you could have taken her home for a little dessert if you get my drift."

"You really are an animal."

"I call it like I see it," He replied, nonchalantly leaning back in his chair and throwing his feet up, "So now comes the important part, where are you taking her for dinner tonight?"

Tuck scratched his chin and stared at the blank computer screen. He wanted something sophisticated, because Juliana seemed the type to appreciate culture. The only problem was, despite the fact that he jetted all over the globe for work; he was a simple guy at heart. A good pint at the Blarney stone and a burger or dinner with Joe was about all he went out for on a regular basis. It was FDR who was always up to date on what was what.

"I have no earthly idea; I was thinking Italian would be a safe bet. There is that really wonderful place off Venice beach."

His friend made a grimace, "Right price range and atmosphere, wrong cuisine. Trust me on this; you never take an Italian chick to an Italian restaurant."

"Why ever not?"

"Because, I guarantee you she has a 7,000 year old grandmother who makes food a million times better than any restaurant, and she's been eating it since the cradle. So the whole time she's eating on your dime that's all she's thinking about," He explained. "Go for Thai or Indian."

"That's a little too specific," Tuck replied. "What if she doesn't like spicy or curry? I want her to enjoy herself and be comfortable, hence the familiar cuisine."

"Whatever, man, play it nice and safe," FDR yawned with a wink. "I'm sure it will be another _magical_ evening with Tuck that will end with a chaste and lovely little boring kiss on the cheek."

He frowned instantly at the sarcasm and turned back to his computer, "I am done talking to you about this."

"You're done talking about this?"

"I'm done talking."

"Are you done talking for the day, or just about this?"

"I. am. done."

"Really?"

"Done."

* * *

Juliana sat at her desk as she tried to mull over a very flawed research proposal from a graduate student at USC who was currently trying to do the exact same thing that she had done with the NPC-1 gene. Half of her current lack of enthusiasm came from the fact that whoever this kid was, they'd obviously read her published works and probably assumed that she discontinued her research when she hit a dead end and decided to stand on her shoulders to get a little boost. Little did they know.

And then there was the second reason she was distracted. A much more enjoyable situation, that had a lot to do with the memory of an insanely delicious cologne, an incredibly sexy voice, and two of the softest lips she'd ever felt…on her cheek.

She couldn't help but shake her head with a smile; she couldn't stop thinking about him- Tuck Hansen. He was without a doubt the most incredibly handsome man she'd seen in a very long time, and tonight she was going to get to spend an entire evening in his company.

Her restless blue eyes flitted up to the clock on her desk; it was already coming up on one. He was supposed to call her any minute now to discuss their plans. Her cell phone rested next to her as a constant reminder, and she couldn't help the feeling of nerves that were swirling in her gut at the moment. A nagging thought pulled at the corner of her mind and it began to sit heavily in the pit of her stomach as her palms began to sweat. It was a strange sense of self-doubt that irritated her to no end. She was being goddamn ridiculous and behaving like a little kid.

She was petrified, and not because she didn't think she was pretty enough, or smart enough, but at the prospect that she'd go on one date with this man and fall head over heels in love with him, and _that_ would leave her wide open for another heart break.

At one point in her life she'd never even have given it a second thought, but after Gregg…she couldn't do it again. She couldn't let someone that far under her skin and deep into her heart only to find out they were a liar. It hurt too damn much.

But Tuck seemed different from what Lauren and even _Trish _had said about him. From what they had told her over dinner last night, he'd been there too. Someone had hurt him too. That had to count for something, right? You didn't put someone through what you had suffered through yourself…right? That was just cruel, and he definitely seemed _anything_ but cruel. He'd been nothing but a perfect gentleman at dinner, and then later at her car, when he took her number and kissed her on the cheek…and that ought to mean something.

Oh, GOD, she was now a babbling idiot when just thinking about the man. How was she going to make the entire evening with him over dinner with nothing to do but stare at his gorgeous face and listen to him talk? She suddenly wanted to cancel…she wasn't ready for this.

Suddenly, as if to answer her nervous breakdown, her phone rang. Her heart jumped into her throat as she noticed that is was a California number she didn't recognize- it had to be him. After a few deep breaths in and out trying to avoid hyperventilating, she composed herself and answered on the third ring in a remarkably calm tone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Juliana? It's Tuck Hansen. I hope I haven't called you at a bad time."

His deep voice filled the receiver and her already racing pulse seemed to kick into hyper-drive, making her hands shake and her head spin with excitement. She needed to get it under control or she was going to make a damn fool out of herself.

"No, not at all, I was just getting ready to go to lunch." She answered, unable to stop the smile from curling her mouth.

"I was just calling to get your address for this evening, and to ask if Piccolo on Venice Beach for Italian sounds good to you for a meal? They are very highly rated; I've spent a little while comparing reviews. Have you ever been?"

Juliana could hear a note of almost nervousness in his voice and it gave her a sense of unimaginable reassurance. He was as anxious as she was about this, and the equal footing put her at ease. "I haven't been, but that sounds great, and I am not picky when it comes to food at all," She answered truthfully. "My address is 872 Malcolm Street; I'm in Westwood not far from UCLA."

"Lovely, I am very familiar with that area," He answered, "I'm in Lincoln Heights, not too far, half hour or so. Is seven still a good time for you? I figure that will let us comfortably make an eight pm reservation."

Juliana wanted to laugh as he was definitely rambling, but it was so incredibly endearing. The feeling of utter comfort was where she got her bravery from. "That sounds perfect. I'm…I'm really looking forward to it," She said quietly.

"Me too," He replied with a small chuckle. "A little more than I should probably admit to you, actually."

"Well, that's good to know," She said as blush colored her cheeks with a very pleasant heat, and a tiny bit of her personality eked its way out in the form of a little joke. "A girl likes to know she's not going to get stood up and have to resort to eating a trough of Haagen Dazs out of the carton on a Friday night."

Tuck laughed warmly at her witty reply, "You needn't worry about that, love, though I will say I am not against sharing the ice cream if you'd like. I have a particular weakness for chocolate."

"We'll see, about that, Mr. Hansen. I don't usually share ice cream on a first date. That sort of thing a guy has to work for."

"Ah, I see, I respect a conservative approach to dessert distribution in a woman," He said, the smile apparent in his voice, "It shows a great deal of her character."

Juliana laughed, knowing that they had stopped a discussion about ice cream a long time ago. She was flirting with him, _shamelessly_, and even better than that, he was flirting right back at her. "Good to know," She mused.

She could hear the street noise in the background suddenly stop on his phone, and she realized that he must have walked into a building. "I'm afraid I have to let you go now," He explained with a sigh, "Only so long for lunch and I have one of those busy afternoons to look forward to. But I'll see you tonight at seven?"

"Definitely, it was nice to talk to you. If your afternoon gets too stressful feel free to call me again and we'll see about that chocolate ice cream." She winced and slapped herself in the forehead at the pathetic invitation, what was she _doing_? God she was awful at this.

"Nice speaking with you as well and I may just have to take you up on that offer, regardless of my work stress." He said with another teasing smile in his voice that sounded absolutely delicious in his musical accent. "But if I have to suffer through, have a lovely afternoon, Juliana."

"You too."

Juliana hung up the phone and loudly rested her head on the flat of her desk. This was too much for any woman to handle. She smiled as she lifted her head up and turned to the computer to immediately lookup Piccolo restaurant. It took about 30 seconds before her mouth was hanging open and watering.

The restaurant was literally right off of Venice Beach, the ocean was within walking distance and palm trees lined the view. It was beautiful, romantic and expensive… just incredible…and she had _nothing_ to wear. This was a situation that needed to handled ASAP. There was no way she was going to that amazing restaurant with that amazing man and not looking her best.

But she still had four hours of work left…

Juliana took one more look at the pathetic research paper in front of her and rolled her eyes. She was _not_ going to waste the rest of her afternoon sitting here looking at someone's clumsy attempt to follow in her footsteps. She shot the facility manager an email and created a little white lie, explaining that she was going to head down to UCLA for the afternoon to work on a paper that needed to be pushed forwards for further review, before she logged off her computer and stood up from her desk.

In fact she was in such a rush to get out of there that she almost ran over a poor intern pushing the mail cart. The thin younger man smiled nervously as he held out a stack of more research papers that had been forwarded to her attention, and another package wrapped in brown paper and addressed to her.

She smiled politely as he walked off and dumped the papers on her desk without a second thought. She paused only momentarily to stare at the package. It was heavy and thick- a book or something similar if she had to guess off the top of her head-and the strangest thing of all was the fact that it was from her old boss from the Anchorage, Alaska, CDC center, Dr. Samuel Harkins.

The memory and irritation of her current work situation and the fact that the man had basically sold her out, made her toss it on her desk with a feeling of indifference. She hadn't spoken to him since the day she left his office almost a month ago, and with good reason. He hadn't done one damn thing to help her when she needed him. When those Army assholes from USAMRIID stripped away everything that she had worked her hands to the bone for, took away work that she was going to base her entire career on, he'd sat behind his desk with his tail between his legs and his head down like a school boy in front of the class bully.

So whatever he sent her could definitely wait until Monday morning for her to open it. It couldn't be that important anyway.

What _was_ important was getting to the mall so she could find something suitable to wear out on her first date in a year.

* * *

**Ooooh...dinner plans ; )**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Muse is starting to roll with this! **

**Here we have a date…a really nice one too…**

**You know the drill, read and review! **

**Definitely letting this out rough…I have to!**

* * *

Almost six hours and five hundred dollars after she left her office; Juliana stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom and admired the fruits of her afternoon shopping trip.

She'd bit the bullet and went to the Michael Kors outlet in east LA, and after restraining herself from going into a fit at the sight of all the gorgeous clothes, she settled on a few several very simple wrap dresses, skirts and blouses for work… and surrendered to a pair of two tone, four inch ankle strap heels. The pointed toe piece was white, the sides were open and the heel cup and ankle strap was black with a cute silver buckle.

They made her feel sexy for the first time in she couldn't remember how long, and when she pared it with a ¾ sleeve fuscha v-neck wrap dress that fell just above her knee and a few simple silver bracelets- she _liked_ how she looked. She turned side to side to notice that the slight cling to the fabric emphasized her curvy figure just enough to tastefully show off her generous chest and rounded backside.

It was a success.

She'd gone a little more adventurous with her makeup than normal, adding a bit of a smoky eye and black liner to emphasize her big blue eyes, and a bold raspberry colored lipstick that stood out from her pale complexion. Her hair tumbled free in a mass of voluminous curls falling below her shoulders that she'd made sure were very well conditioned and soft to the touch.

Just in case he touched them. That was also the reason that she was using for why she had meticulously shaved her legs…and taken care of _other_ maintenance needs that had been neglected for a little too long.

She sat down at the edge of her bed and stared at a couple bottles of lotion that sat on her bureau, selecting a subtle scent that smelled like clean linen and baby powder, before generously lathering up her legs…all the way up. It was only because she wanted to be practical and make sure that her skin looked its best, not because she intended for him to have his hands on her thigh. And the same went for the very lacy peach colored thong and matching bra she was wearing; it was practical and looked best with the dress- _not_ because he was going to see it.

Because he wasn't, she was sure of that. She didn't do things like that. For God sakes she was thirty and she could count on two fingers the number of men she'd slept with in her life, and one hand the number she'd kissed. But all it took was one thought about him…and her body was already coming alive. Her skin prickled with a strange sort of energy, and she swore there was a current of electricity humming just under the surface, and perhaps most shocking of all was the way she felt between her legs. A molten, red-hot feeling of arousal, of want and need, pure and simple, it was something she'd never felt this acutely before. Not even with Gregg.

A tinge of blush crept up her throat at the realization that she felt like this and she hadn't even kissed him properly. If he had her _this _worked up with a few words and a peck on the cheek, what would it be like to feel him touch her…be inside her? An answering throb from deep within her core and an accompanying trickle of moisture that dampened her feminine flesh made her shiver. The sound of a car pulling into her driveway suddenly snapped her out of it and she tried to still her trembling hands as she grabbed her purse, taking one last look in the mirror before walking to the front door.

Juliana's heels clicked against the hardwood floor as the doorbell chimed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to gather herself for a moment before she opened the door to reveal her date. It was too much. Her first response was to close the door again and wait a good half hour before she found her rational mind and engaged it. But thankfully she chose to go with her second- and much less dignified-response which was to stare at him like a simpleton. He once again completely destroyed her vocabulary.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored dark grey suit and beneath it a shirt and tie made of a really deep indigo color that brought out the blue tint in his grey eyes. Everything hugged to his muscular form, and as a waft of his wonderful spicy cologne wafted into her nose, she could feel her common sense floating away as she stared at his handsome face. His hair was neatly styled, and he'd shaved, the smoothness of his slightly tanned skin drew even more attention to him full, plump lips; which, if it was even possible, seemed to be more lush and soft looking than she remembered.

For the first time in her life Juliana was utterly spellbound. It was like every foolish moment of boy meeting girl from every silly love story that she'd ever read and never thought could ever happen to her. In fact it actually took her a moment to realize that he was holding a handful of brilliant blue dahlias in his hand.

Tuck smiled shyly and was the first one to speak; his tone was low and a little husky. "You look absolutely incredible."

"So do you," She answered, unable to hide the awe and nerves in her voice.

He held out the flowers and took a small step closer, "These are for you. I wanted to deviate from the traditional rose, and honestly, I saw them and thought of the color of your eyes."

Juliana knew her hands were trembling as she reached up to take the elegant bouquet of flowers, tied with a blue ribbon. "Thank you, they are beautiful." She said with a small smile, "Do you want to come in for a moment so I can put them in some water?"

"Sure."

He followed her into her small home and she watched as his eyes surveyed his surroundings. She walked into the kitchen and quickly grabbed the largest glass she had in the cupboard and filled it with water, arranging them as best she could before placing them on the center of her small dining room table.

"I'm ready to go if you are," She said as she put her purse over her shoulder.

Tuck nodded and gestured to the door like only a gentleman would, "Absolutely, after you."

* * *

Juliana sat in the front seat of his very nicely appointed Chevy Tahoe as she demurely crossed her legs tight and tried to control her breathing as his intoxicating cologne filled the air. Her eyes took in her surroundings and he smiled as he looked over at her with a playful smile, "I know it's not a Shelby Cobra, I'm afraid I'm more of a practical SUV man than a convertible type."

She laughed, "Oh, don't worry. I'm not exactly a convertible girl either, but I figured since I was finally in a climate that allowed it I should splurge. It's not really the kind of car that you drive in upstate New York winters."

"Is that where you are from originally?"

"Yeah, right outside of Albany," She explained. "My entire immediate family still lives within five hours of there."

"So you are the brave one who spread her wings in the wide world and left the nest, 'eh?"

Juliana bit her lip and tried to stop her heart from pounding through her chest. "I suppose so, but it's hardly a far flight in comparison to a man who's on a different continent."

Tuck smiled with a curl of his lip, "It's nothing extraordinary, just a hop across the pond. But hearing it impresses you in any way certainly is a boost to the ego."

She shook her head and smiled. There was just no way she was going to make it through tonight without being stained a permanent red from her blush.

* * *

Tuck drove them through the insane congestion of downtown Los Angeles Friday night traffic with remarkable ease, and it wasn't long before Juliana was looking out on the beautiful scenery of the ocean and Venice Beach. It was funny that there was still a small bit of tranquility to be had in such an overcrowded metropolis. He pulled into a small parking lot and chose a spot that was closest to the beach. He turned off the engine a moment later and got out, crossing behind the vehicle and almost making her jump in surprise when he opened the door for her.

"Thank you," She said quietly, slipping out of the tall truck and minding the way that her dress lifted slightly on her thighs.

"You are welcome," He answered as he shut the door behind her, letting his eyes light on her for just a second as the ocean breeze took her thick curls, sending a few of them flowing around her face, before they turned towards the busy restaurant.

There was a charming red awning on the outside of the terracotta building that was lit with a delicate strand of lights, creating a very European feel to the ten or so wrought iron tables that were already filled with people outside the doors. It was extremely busy, and Tuck was a combination of considerate and deliberate as he walked through them all to the small podium where a tall, blonde man in his late 20's was serving as the host.

"Good evening," He said with a brisk smile. "May I help you?"

"Ah, yes, I have an eight pm reservation for two, it should be under Hansen."

The host's eyes scanned the leather ledger in front of him before he shook his head and looked back up, "I'm sorry, I don't have a reservation under that name."

Juliana watched as Tuck instantly frowned, but his voice was still polite when he spoke, "Are you sure? I made it on the website this afternoon."

He looked through the pages again as Tuck pulled out his phone and quickly jumped into his email. Both men looked up at the same time, the young host shaking his head as Tuck's hand came up to scrub the back of his neck in a gesture that was filled with absolute embarrassment. He turned to look at her and tried to crack a playful smile, but she could tell he was absolutely mortified.

"I am so sorry, I was so busy this afternoon with a last minute meeting because Fr…my co-worker didn't complete his work that I think I forgot to log back on and send the reservation request."

"Oh," She said quietly, "Don't worry about it."

"When's your next available table for two?" He regretfully asked the host.

The blonde made a face, "It's probably going to be like two hours."

Juliana could see the top of Tuck's ears getting red and she suddenly felt her stomach began to remind her that the half of a Caesar salad wrap that she enjoyed for lunch at two was long gone. There was no way she was going to wait another two hours to eat dinner. The Barbie dolls in LA might starve themselves but she certainly didn't. She finally reached out to grab his arm gently, "Let's go somewhere else, we don't have to wait." He gave a polite nod to the host before he turned and followed her back into the parking lot.

"I am so sorry," He said again shaking his head with a deep sigh. "I cannot _believe_ I did that, and there is going to be absolutely no decent place right now in LA that doesn't have a two hour wait."

She could hear the frustration and embarrassment in his voice, and she had to clear the air. "Tuck," She finally said as she stood in front of him, catching his eye with a genuine smile and letting her want to make him feel comfortable overtake her nerves. "I wasn't joking on the phone today. I am not picky about my food, if we have to get fast food take out and eat in the car that's fine. I'm more interested in the company than the cuisine tonight."

He stared at her, his grey eyes lighting up as a smile slowly fell across his face. "I have no idea if you are being truthful or just amazingly sympathetic and compassionate, but either way, thank you."

Juliana winked at him out of reflex and shook her head right after. This self-conscious thing was going to have to go. She could actually hear her mother and her sisters chiding her for being shy. There was no way they were ever going to get to know each other if she kept this up. So, like the educated woman she was, she threw caution to the wind and smiled.

"So, what is there to eat around here?"

Tuck scratched the back of his head and stared off towards the brightly lit Venice pier, "Well there are probably half a dozen gourmet food trucks parked not far away." He trailed off for a moment and seemed to be lost in thought before he finished. "We could grab something to go and find a picnic table at the beach, I mean I know you are beautifully dressed and the last thing you want is to be covered in sand."

She bit her lip at the prospect of a walk in the sand with this brutally handsome man. "That actually sounds incredible."

He chuckled lowly at her honest answer, "You can't be this easy going. There has to be a catch, dates aren't this wonderful."

Juliana rolled her eyes as they started walking across the parking lot towards the pier. Studiously noticing that his shoulder was close enough that it was brushing up against hers, "And for the record, Mr. Hansen, I am that easy going. It comes as a function of having a huge Italian family. You learn not to complain about the little things and appreciate what you have."

He nodded and looked over at her, "Well now you have to tell me a little about them."

"Let's see," She sighed with a deep breath, "I'll give you the quick rundown. My step-father's name is Albert he owns a Ford dealership in Albany, hence my love of the Mustang. My mother Rosemarie met him when I was 13; she was hired when he opened as his Finance Manager. They got married a year later."

"Office romance?" Tuck questioned with a smile.

"Actually she hated him at first. I remember her coming home from work and telling me how arrogant he was. She was really thin back then and he kept leaving a box of donuts on her desk as a not so subtle hint." Juliana smiled fondly at the memory, "But I think she was one of those 'protesting too much' ladies. I think it was love at first sight and she was just too stubborn to realize it. My father left her right after my youngest sister was born, and she was just refusing to open up again."

He nodded thoughtfully, "You sound like you have a lot of respect for her."

"Oh, I do. She raised us all alone for eight years as Mom and Dad. She's my hero." She sighed and waived her hands as she felt emotion begin to choke her, God she missed them, "Alright so back to the list, there's my oldest step-brother Joe, his wife Chelsea, and their kids Bella, Adrienne, Albert and Richard, then my step-brother Daniel, his wife Sara and their kids Danny Jr and Alice, then my sister Antonia and her husband Matthew and their kids Regan and Ryan, my baby sister Kathleen and her husband Brian, and my youngest step-brother Nicholas and his wife Daniela."

Tuck stopped in his tracks as he tried to fathom the people she rattled off. "My God, where do you fit in all of that?"

"I'm the oldest girl," She laughed. "And the only single one, which is ever so fun."

"Do you get all together at the holidays?"

"Oh, yeah, it's an absolute _zoo_ at Christmas time; there is enough food to feed an army. We also take a vacation every July up to Lake George and rent a huge place right on the water. It's nice and laid back and the kids have a great time. We do a little grilling out, boating and campfires at night, very laid back."

"That sounds so lovely," He said earnestly.

"Family is very important to me," Juliana said wistfully. It was the truth, and sadly, she was left once again realizing that she should have already had one of her own by now. But then she wouldn't be here, now, enjoying the exhilarating feeling of this man; looking ahead at the nearing lights and not minding the walk at all, feeling absolutely natural as she talked to him, "Lauren told me last night that you have a son."

Tuck's smile was instantaneous, "I do. His name is Joe, he's eight, and he is literally my favorite person in the whole wide world."

She looked at him and her heart caught in her chest at the sincerity and emotion in his words. There was something about a man as a father that made him infinitely sexier. And Tuck seemed to be the type that wouldn't have shied away from baby diapers and the less glamorous parts of the job.

"I'm sure with a father like you he's a perfect gentleman too."

"I am trying," Tuck laughed. "Not always the easiest thing to do, but I think something sticks every now and then."

They finally emerged from the gravel footpath and into another parking lot where Juliana looked around to indeed see two or three foot trucks parked with a sizable crowd milling each one. There was a loudly themed pink burger one, which was an option, one that looked like Korean themed…and then she froze. A red truck was parked closest to the beach and proudly proclaimed to be "the best Lobsta roll on the West Coast". It had been years since she'd had a good one.

"Oh my God, do you like lobster?" Juliana said excitedly.

He smiled at her enthusiasm, "I do. Don't think I've ever had a 'roll' of it though."

She arched her eyebrow at him, "So you are a travel agent and have apparently never traveled to Maine on the New England coast before. That is very sad. You are really missing out."

"Well, I appreciate an educational opportunity whenever I find one," He answered with a nod. "I'll put my stomach in your capable hands."

Juliana winked, "You just might regret that, Mr. Hansen. You don't entrust a flat abs like yours to an Italian woman; they are liable not to stay so trim for very long."

She could feel her cheeks getting hot as he stared at her for a moment; something was dancing behind his eyes again. But this time the grey color seemed to darken as he leaned to her ear, the soft touch of his warm breath tickling her. "I'll amend my original statement; I trust your capable hands with my entire body."

A wash of goosebumps raced across her skin as she started almost wide eyed at him as lust and surprise took over her. She swallowed hard as she let her gaze fall to his full lips for a heartbeat, "Oh."

She sounded so foolish, and he seemed to snap out of it a second later, frowning slightly. "I hope I wasn't too forward. If so I apologize."

"No," She whispered. She shook her head and looked down at her feet to collect herself, "It's just…it's…it's been a very long time since someone has said something like that to me. I'm awful at this, I don't date…"

Tuck chuckled warmly and she chanced a look up at his face to see he was blushing as badly as she was. "Juliana, please don't apologize. Trust me when I tell you that I am the most boring man on the face of the planet. I can't even manage to make dinner reservations properly, and I can't look at you without feeling like a nervous schoolboy. So if you are poor at this, I think I am even worse, love."

His honesty was so refreshing and so liberating that it couldn't help but make her feel like his equal instead of like a lost little girl. She tucked a strand of curls behind her ear and spoke. "Well, since we are equally poor at this, I'd say it's lucky for the rest of the world that we are out together and not torturing anyone else. So, let's go get that dinner you've been missing."

"Lead the way."

* * *

They grabbed two buttery lobster rolls, a cup of New England clam chowder to share, a bag of thick cut Cape Cod potato chips and a two Styrofoam cups of fresh squeezed lemonade, before making their way over to a picnic table right near the edge of the sand. Juliana sat next to him and carefully placed a napkin on her lap before tucking one into the top of her dress, one couldn't be too careful with the first decent outfit she'd had in a while.

Tuck carefully did the same as he stared at his food. "This does look amazing."

Juliana nodded as she took a healthy bite of the perfectly toasted roll, almost closing her eyes in gratitude at the taste of the delicate, sweet lobster meat. She chewed her bite thoughtfully as she watched him take one of his own, his reaction mirroring hers.

"And?" She asked as she sipped her lemonade.

"Unbelievable," He said with a smile. "Something tells me it's just as good as any high end Italian we would have eaten." He took another big bite and stared off at the busy restaurant in the distance, "Though I was looking forward to a little homemade pasta."

She smiled at him as she wiped her mouth, "You could always ask me very nicely and I just might make some for you sometime."

Tuck turned to her with a smile, "Oh, pretty, please? It's my one weakness. I can pass up a plate of cookies, but give me pasta and meatballs and I'll stuff myself silly. Joe's as bad as I am. We go every Thursday to a cute little place down the street from my place; the sauce is just incredible, best thing I have ever eaten. Then we both roll home and pass out at seven."

"Well, that sounds like a challenge," Juliana said. "I think I'll take it too, no one's sauce can touch my Nonna's."

"Give me the day and I will be waiting eagerly with whatever supplies you require."

Her ears turned red as her mind went into the gutter, imagining him just standing naked in her field of vision while she cooked. But she finally settled on something a bit more sedate, "Keep me with a full glass of wine and I'll be perfectly content."

They both laughed and finished their dinner in peace, eating the sandwiches before sharing the chowder and the chips. The night was still so warm and Juliana couldn't help but sigh pleasantly as a gentle breeze came off the water and filled her nose with the smell of the salt and the sea. She looked down at her feet and at the quiet beach before she looked over at her handsome date.

"How about we lose the shoes and take a walk in the sand?"

Tuck grinned, "There you are pilfering my ideas. How's a bloke supposed to be romantic when you are stealing my thunder?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something to make me blush," She answered as she unbuckled her shoes and stood up, waiting for him to fix his shoes and socks and cuff his dress pants before he picked them up and walked over to her.

"Now that sounds like a challenge_ I'll_ accept."

* * *

The sand was still warm from the sun and they walked for a while before Juliana spoke, "So, at the risk of sounding like a fool, I'd like to get the honesty things out of the way. If you don't mind talking to me about them that is. You don't have to, but…I um, I need to know."

"Ask away, yeah. Nothing is off limits."

She looked at the side of his face, "What happened with you and your ex-wife? Why didn't it work?"

Tuck took a deep breath and shrugged, his voice was low and quiet when he spoke. "I've asked myself that quite a few times. We got married young; after we found out she was going to have Joe. And I know it was the right thing to do, but I don't know if we ever really loved each other like we should have. She didn't like the fact that I travel for my job; it bothered her to have a husband that wasn't always there at night. We tried more than once, and I really wanted to make it work. I just don't know if she wanted it as much as I did."

He went quiet and she could see the sadness in him, "I'm sorry, Tuck."

"Don't be, I have my son, and anything bad I've felt means nothing in comparison to having him in my life." He looked at her with a small smile, "What about you? I refuse to believe a woman as beautiful and brilliant as you are has been lonely in her life."

Juliana laughed darkly, "I can't say I've been very lucky in love. I was engaged to a man I fell completely for. We met in medical school and he followed me to Atlanta and worked at the CDC as well after graduation. But I guess I wasn't enough for him…I still don't know if I worked too much, if I didn't satisfy him like he wanted…it ended a year ago." She didn't want to keep talking about it, but for some reason she felt like she could tell him everything. "I came home one day and found him with my laboratory assistant- in_ my_ bed."

Tuck stopped walking and reached out to gently grab her arm, pulling her to stay for a moment. Juliana could feel the tears of anger, shame, and betrayal as they filled up her eyes, stinging in the breeze as the memories came back to her. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but it still_ hurt_.

"I just want someone to be honest with me," She finally whispered as the tears fell. "Just please don't lie to me. If you aren't interested, just tell me…I'll understand." She sniffled as she felt utter embarrassment at her behavior, "I'm so sorry, we just met, I didn't mean to say that…I'm sorry."

He looked at her and she could see his jaw working as the shoes that were dangling from his finger by the laces dropped to the sand. His hands slowly came up to cup her cheeks and his thumbs gently brushed the tears away. "Don't be sorry," He said as his eyes stared at her face and fell on her mouth. "Please don't be sorry, love."

Her heart was racing as she stared at his beautiful mouth, it looked so soft, so welcoming. She saw him begin to slowly lean his face in to hers and her eyes slid closed as she felt the warmth of his breath fanning her face. A small, gasp puffed from her mouth as she felt the same feather light touch against her lips that she felt on her cheek the night before, and then the warm, lush weight of his mouth as he kissed her. She was tingling all over her body as he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, opening his mouth just enough to tease the seam of her lips with his tongue as he coaxed hers open.

Juliana felt her knees almost buckle at the sensation of his kiss. It was sweet, tentative, safe, but as he began to taste her with more of his mouth, his tongue sweeping to gently tangle and massage hers, she swore she'd never felt anything more mind numbingly erotic in her life. If this was what a kiss could be…she truly wondered if she'd never been kissed before now.

Tuck pulled away a minute later, and she felt herself lean into him, her eyes finally fluttering open slowly. She almost felt drunk. It took her a second to get herself under control, and when she did, he smiled at her.

"Too forward again?"

His hands were still on her face and she leaned into his touch, "No." She felt herself smiling back at him. She felt like she was floating, "Not at all."

He let his hands fall and stared at her, "I hope that takes care of your inquiries where my interest in you is concerned."

"Thank you for clearing that up." Juliana said as she bit her lip. The sadness between them had gone, but there was still a palatable emotion that hung in the air. If she had to give it a sensation, it would be akin to falling in a dream…and she knew that falling was precisely what was going on between them. He leaned down to pick up his shoes again, and reached out with his other hand to take hers as they kept walking.

"So," Tuck said with a sigh, "if we are being honest, I have to confess, for the sake of avoiding possible awkwardness in the future, that Lauren and I dated for a couple of weeks."

"Oh," Juliana replied genuinely surprised.

"I had feelings for her, and we kissed, but were never…intimate. She met Franklin at the same time, and she chose him." Tuck explained nervously. "But there are no feelings that I have towards her now that aren't completely platonic. She's my best mate's woman, and a good friend. I just wanted to be honest."

She squeezed his hand and grinned, "Well, I appreciate the honesty, and I have to say I am a little worried about her."

"Why?"

"Because she is absolutely crazy for letting you go."

His cheeks dusted with a little blush and he smiled, "Yeah, well apparently I was judged to be 'nice, safe and boring' by a general vote."

Juliana recognized the hallmarks of Trish's joking handiwork immediately. "Well, I am as boring and safe as they come, and I'd welcome the company of a gentleman for a change. So, enough of that tell me one thing I should know about you, Mr. Hansen."

"I absolutely loathe plain white rice." He made a face, "What about you?"

"I'm petrified of heights and I scream like a banshee when I see a spider."

"I love breakfast for dinner."

"I love to sleep in."

"Mmm, me too."

* * *

They walked for what seemed like forever, talking about the sports they played growing up, rugby and _football_ for Tuck, and basketball, softball and volleyball for Juliana. She learned that he was an only child and grew up north of London, where he went to University for business and logistics before he moved to the US on a work visa and after a few years opened up his own travel sales business. He made it home once a year to see his parents, and he normally spent six to eight months traveling intermittently before spending the same amount of time in the office on a rotating schedule. She talked about meeting Lauren her freshman year of college and a bit about medical school and her archive job for the CDC.

It was funny, by the time they made it back to the car it was a little before eleven, and she couldn't have felt any different in three short hours if she tried. There was no awkwardness as he opened the car door for her, and it seemed perfectly natural when he pulled out of the parking lot and his hand came across the seat to gently take hers.

She didn't feel nervous around him anymore, she felt…_excited_…and the more she thought about it the more she remembered his kiss. The way his mouth and tongue felt, and the continual waft of his musky, delicious cologne…her stomach fluttered and she realized she wanted to feel it again.

Tonight.

She spent the entire ride home staring absently out the window, loving the feel of his warm hand, and it was that adrenaline that made her brave. Tuck pulled into her driveway and she stared at her front door before looking back at him. The look in his grey eyes certainly echoed the same feelings that were dancing around in her stomach.

"I had a lovely time tonight," He said, "A lovely, lovely time."

Juliana didn't think, for once she simply took a deep breath and went for it. The eager sound in her voice took her by surprise. "Would you like to come in for a glass of wine? I mean, since we didn't get one at dinner and all."

Tuck's eyes went to her lips, and his voice was low and husky when he answered her, "Absolutely."

* * *

**A nice glass of wine...sounds wonderful**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Whew, I am finally back! The muse is just all over this one...I hope you enjoy XD**

**Also today is my anniversary of sorts, I published my first story on here a year ago today. It's kinda crazy when I look back at all that I have written in a year and how far I have come. Yikes...I wonder sometimes if I can keep it up...then I realize Mr. Hardy has been busy lately, so I am positive there will be plenty of inspiration for quite some time.**

**So without further ado I give you a boring chapter where nothing happens at all that will irrevocably change our characters ; ).**

**As always...thank you so much for all the feedback for this story...please continue to do it. It means so much! **

* * *

Juliana's heart was pounding as she walked into the door to her own place. She tried to act casual as her shaking hands caused her keys to jingle loudly, but she knew her entire face was bright red and broadcasting her emotions like a foghorn. Who was she kidding, she was a goddamn mess.

She was standing in her small living room with the best looking man that she had ever met in her entire life, after having perhaps the most romantic date that was ever enjoyed by a woman...and she had no idea what to do.

Well, that wasn't exactly true, she knew that she wanted to grab him by the lapels of his suit coat, pull him close, and kiss those beautiful, lush, pillow soft lips until she was dizzy and gasping for air. But unfortunately she was absolutely out of her league at the moment, so she settled on resting her purse on the dining room table as she walked into the kitchen to get a little liquid courage.

"Do you have a preference on red or white wine?" She asked casually as she caught sight of her date, standing with his hands in his pockets and casually observing his surroundings with a very focused stare.

Tuck smiled at her and shrugged, "I have to admit I am not a wine connoisseur. I'll have whatever you are having, trusting my stomach again to your capable hands."

Juliana nodded as she turned around and opened her refrigerator, grabbing the open bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and two glasses hanging from beneath the cabinet. She poured out two healthy servings of the rich, red liquid and handed him a glass as she left the rest of the bottle uncorked on the counter.

"This is my mother's favorite wine," She explained as she took a sip, letting the taste of the familiar peppery tannins bring her mind to a place of calm. "It's really good with homemade pasta and a nice meat sauce, by the way."

He mirrored her sip and his eyes closed for a moment as he savored the mouthful with a sigh, "Mmm, that's twice you've given me something incredible to taste tonight." He paused and bit his lower lip with a shake of his head, "Or should say three times."

She paused for a second, not quite sure what he was talking about, and it suddenly came to her as clear as day. He was talking about their kiss on the beach. She could feel herself turn red for the millionth time, but instead of feeling nervous and foolish...she was flattered and excited.

A wry grin fell across her face as she looked back at him, "I would certainly say three times."

Tuck smiled and took another sip of wine as he walked into her small living room, looking at the dozens of pictures that covered her walls of her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and her parents. His eyes lit on one particular picture of her oldest step-brother's wedding, it was a picture of just the siblings and parents with the newlyweds.

She couldn't quite remember the sequence of events, but there was one moment where the photographer had made a comment about the Red Sox recent World Series win, and her step-father, who bled Yankee pinstripes, announced dramatically that he was done with the pictures.

Everyone had been laughing loudly when the picture was snapped. It was still everyone's favorite family portrait. Her parents had a 14''X16'' mounted on their living room wall.

"Are these all your siblings? They look like a riot," He smiled as he took another swig of wine.

"They are," Juliana laughed, "A very, _loud_ riot."

"Your place is very lovely," Tuck remarked. "Cozy. I've been thinking about downsizing myself, but I have far too much rubbish I've collected over the years to fit in a place like this, and I can't bear to part with any of it."

"Ah, a hoarder," She smirked. "Don't worry; I still have a whole section of my parent's basement filled with stuff from when I was a kid right up through college. They keep threatening me that they are going to burn it or something, and I just keep promising them as soon as I get married and get a big house I'll take it all. I think they are finally on to me though. It's never going to happen."

"Are you so sure?" He asked.

The words hung between them and suddenly the entire atmosphere in the house shifted, going from playful to something much more palatable- something stronger.

Finally it was Tuck who cleared his throat, "Do you mind if I use your bathroom for a moment?"

"Not at all," Juliana replied, grateful for the change in conversation. "It's down the hall, first door on the right, the other one is my bedroom."

"Ah, thank you." He replied as he set his glass on the kitchen counter and walked to the open door.

The minute he was out of sight she silently freaked out. What was _wrong_ with her? Could she sound any more desperate?

Yeah, the bathroom is right near my bedroom, so when you are done in there feel free to strip down and climb on the bed and lie back. You don't have to do a thing, I will gladly do _all _the work and screw you six-ways from Sunday, because the only company I've had in a year is bright purple and in my bedside table.

Ugh. She was seriously pathetic. She drained her glass and refilled it, topping off Tuck's with the rest of the bottle.

To take her mind off her stupidity, Juliana walked into the living room and flipped on the TV, there had to be a movie or something that was on. Because there wasn't any damn way that she was going to trust herself with conversation for the rest of the night.

* * *

Tuck stood at the sink and stared into the mirror as he washed his hands. He felt like a damn schoolboy with his first crush on a pretty girl. It was the most foolish thing in the damn world. He'd dated plenty of women, and for God's sake he had been married, but there was something about Juliana that he had never, ever seen in another woman.

There was a sense of absolute confidence she had about herself. She was educated and articulate, and at the same time she was fragile and real. She hadn't batted and eye when he'd absolutely ruined their dinner plans. They'd enjoyed take out and a walk on the beach, and she made him feel like it was more incredible than any five star meal he would have gladly shelled out a couple hundred bucks for.

And it wasn't just that, when he saw her at her door when he picked her up earlier…she was absolutely stunning.

He'd always loved a woman with a set of curves. A nice toned figure that was still soft to the touch, skin that yielded to a little pressure. It was the part of himself that he normally kept to himself; that hardwired, primitive, caveman instinct to mount up behind a woman with a round ass and grab hold of a nice set of hips and just go animal.

Not that he'd done that often…or at all really, not since his University days.

Katie had been obsessive about staying pin thin, no matter how much he encouraged her to be healthy, and when she was pregnant with Joe she refused to have sex of any sort after four months. She didn't like the way she looked. And of course, he being the nice supportive husband had respected her wishes…and resorted to a quick hand in the shower every now and then for relief.

But Juliana had hips, and a fantastic ass, which had been on display all night in that ridiculously classy outfit that managed to be insanely sexy at the same time. Not to mention a great pair of breasts that probably glowed in the dark with that pale, milky white skin…and thick hair that was almost waiting for a fist to tangle into it.

She'd tasted so incredible when he kissed her, and he wanted to do it again- now.

Tuck felt himself harden instantly, and he drew a sharp breath through his nose as he adjusted his screaming flesh. Bloody hell, he was behaving like, well, Franklin for lack of a better descriptor. In fact he had to roll his eyes at the memory of their juvenile conversation right before he left the office.

_He'd been at his desk finishing a last minute request to Interpol for some information regarding another hijacked FedEx truck at a Siberian airport, when the sharp gleam of foil flew through the air and hit him on the side of his head before falling in his lap._

_It was a condom._

_He turned to his partner to catch him with a shit eating grin on his face. "You should make sure you have one of those ready to go, buddy."_

"_Are you insane, or did you sustain a head injury as a child?" He replied as he tossed the packet on his desk. "It's first off insulting to insinuate that she'd be interested in sexual contact on the first date, and secondly to assume that I am the sort of man who is looking for that type of encounter."_

_FDR frowned, "Jesus, do you listen to yourself? 'Contact' and 'encounter', it's no wonder you haven't been laid in six months. Goddamn, man, it's not quantum physics or rocket science, it's sex. And if I got the read on you both right last night, which I am never wrong, the two of you would be nasty in the sack together. She's one of those quiet girls, and you know what they say about quiet girls."_

_Tuck scoffed, as he continued to type, "I don't actually, I am a gentleman."_

"_Whatever you say, but quiet girls are quiet everywhere _but_ the bedroom, and that one is a moaner, I can tell. She just hasn't had someone good enough to make her call 'em 'Daddy' in a _long_ time. I betcha she talks dirty too, and has all sorts of proper medical terminology for things."_

"_Do you mind," He snapped, irritated both at the way FDR's crude ideas were embarrassing him, as well as kind of turning him on. Thinking about Juliana like that was too much to handle at work. "I don't want to talk about this."_

"_Fine," He replied with a sigh, "Just do me a favor and take the rubber will ya, think of it as the mag I'm tossing you at the last minute. You are _never_ prepared."_

Tuck shook his head at the recollection; he had the damn thing in his wallet. And God help him he wanted to use it. For the first time in his "responsible" adult life, he wanted to give in to the instant attraction he felt for a woman. Maybe it was because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what happened tonight, it was not a one night stand.

He was falling, hard, far worse than he had felt with Lauren, and it should scare him to death. But at the moment all he wanted to do was run out of the bathroom and find her again.

He took a few deep breaths, thankful of his extensive crisis training, and willed his body to calm down. He needed to be in control and above all he needed to have a clear head before he made an absolute fool out of himself.

* * *

Juliana had thankfully found the perfect distraction she was looking for on Showtime, and while _My Best Friend's Wedding_ might be a tad bit girly, it was enough of a comedy that it should hopefully prove to be entertaining for her date as well. Not to mention that Julia Roberts was in the movie and her character's name was Julianne. How often did that happen?

She had put out a couple of coasters, resting their wine on the coffee table, slipped off her very pretty, but still not broken in heels, and sat on her plush coffee colored sofa to wait for him as she tried not to have a nervous breakdown.

Tuck appeared a few minutes later and noticed her new position. He took a seat next to her without invitation, maintaining a comfortable distance, but not far enough that they weren't brushing up against one another now and then.

"I hope you don't mind the movie," She said nodding to the TV.

He shook his head, "I actually rather like this one. I am man enough to confess to having a soft spot for romantic comedies, and even the occasional strictly romance movie when the plot is well done."

"That takes a man to admit to that," She agreed with a smile. "Though you'll usually find me watching fantasy or sci-fi, I am a true nerd at heart. I still have my glasses actually."

Tuck laughed at her self-deprecating admission, "I am sure they look just perfect on you. Star Trek or Star Wars?"

She made a face, "Eeek. Star Wars, only the originals, and Star Trek the Next Generation."

"Picard over Kirk, eh?" He teased with another one of his absolutely devastating smiles.

"Absolutely," Juliana answered. "I'll take a sexy British man over an American playboy any day." As soon as the words left her mouth she shook her head. Foot in mouth one more time.

But Tuck merely chuckled, "Good to know. And for the record I agree with you on both accounts, those are my favorites as well."

The two of them went quiet for a moment and sipped on their wine as the movie really began. Juliana smiled at the main character's promise to her old best friend that they would marry at 30 if they were both single.

"I had one of those arrangements in high school too," She said pointing to the screen. "Paul Bell and I made the agreement during our sophomore chemistry class after seeing this the first time."

He looked over with a smile, "So what happened? Or am I just waiting for him to bust into here any moment and steal you away?"

Juliana laughed loudly, "Oh I doubt it. Paul went to art school in Paris after we graduated and let's just say that he and his boyfriend Oliver send me a Christmas card every year. I should have known something was up when he knew the musical numbers better than I did."

"I see," He replied, trying to hide his grin as he drank a healthy swallow from his glass, finishing it off, "It's lucky for me, though."

She blushed and turned back to look at the movie, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart, and the absolutely electric tingle of sensation that was rushing between her thighs with a molten heat. Just sitting here, smelling him and feeling the solid form of his body only inches away was making her so unbearably aroused she could barely breathe.

Of course the two glasses of red wine that were coursing through her veins didn't exactly help with that either. If anything it was making her feel everything more and more acutely. And what she was acutely feeling was the fact that for the first time in her entire life she wanted to throw caution to the wind and give this man everything he wanted from her tonight. Worse yet, she couldn't even find it in herself to be guilty about it.

"…_he's just in town for a few hours to…uh, fuck me."_

"_It takes a few hours."_

Juliana snapped out of her daze just in time to catch those two lines…and suddenly the mortification and frustrated sexual tension in her body kicked up another notch. It was absolutely unbearable. She started talking half out of reflex, just to try to calm down."I remember hearing that at fifteen the first time I saw it in the theater, I was absolutely floored that people talked about sex like that. I had no idea." The smell of his cologne was starting to get to her, it was the only thing that could have explained why she kept talking.

"I mean not that I'd know about it even now, I mean that would require that someone had a little interest."

It was like everything was happening in slow motion. She turned her head to look at him and he was staring right at her, his normally soft grey eyes seemed to be as dark as thunderclouds and the sexual hunger in them was enough to make her feel so dizzy she felt like she was going to faint. He licked his lips and when he spoke, his voice was a low rumble that set her on fire.

"What if someone had more than a little interest?"

Something deep inside her let go. The walls that she'd built up after Gregg hurt her were instantly destroyed by a tsunami of want and need that literally obliterated anything else in its wake. Right now, in this moment, there was nothing but the two of them, and that was all her mind could process on some primitive level.

Looking back on it, Juliana should have been mortified at her behavior, but as she practically leapt across the sofa at him, she felt nothing at all but satisfaction. And when she reached out for him, he desperately reached back, one hand cupping the side of her face as their lips crashed into one another's in a passionate kiss.

She opened her mouth as she felt his do the same, and when his warm, smooth tongue slipped between her lips there was none of the safety and politeness that he had shown her on the beach. He was bold and dominant, showing her that without a doubt he would be the type of lover that would make her head spin and still be a complete gentleman at the same time. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a pathetic needy whimper as he tasted her deeply, oh God, she wanted to completely surrender to all of it. She wanted him to make the voices in her head that had been haunting for the past year fall silent. She wanted him to make her feel like a woman again, she wanted to feel _everything_ again.

Her entire body was shaking as she pulled away from his mouth. Any doubt she had about wanting to do it faded when she saw an answering desperation in his. He was right here with her, feeling the same thing that she was. She turned off the TV and stood up, leaving him on the couch as she locked the front door and turned off the light in the living room.

Her heart was racing as she walked back to him in the darkness and took his hands to pull him to his feet before she swallowed hard and leaned in for another deep kiss. He tasted like rich wine, and she wanted to blame the feeling of drunkenness on that, even though she knew it was a lie. She felt like this because she wanted him, plain and simple, and he wanted her back.

Juliana pulled away again as her conscious mind resurfaced just for a moment as stood in front of him, listening to both of their panting breaths echo in the silent house. She swallowed nervously as panic made her eyes close, her voice was a wavering, breathless whisper she could barely recognize. "I never do this, I _don't_ do this."

She wasn't sure what she expected, but when Tuck took her lips again and groaned lowly at the feeling of it, and then put his forehead against hers she trembled at his response, and the same terrified tone that threaded through his voice.

"Neither do I."

Her eyes fluttered open, and even in the low light she could see the sincerity reflected in his. He wasn't lying to her. It was all she needed. For the first time in her life, Juliana felt herself perched on the edge of something enormous, and instead of fearing the heights she leaned over the edge and let go. His kisses were ravenous as they managed to make their way down the small hallway to her bedroom.

She stood at the foot of the bed and reached for the lapels of his coat, pushing it off his shoulders before pausing, not sure if she was aggressive enough to make the first move again. Tuck seemed to understand what she was wrestling with and loosened his tie and tossed it down with his coat as he went to the buttons on his shirt. Juliana felt like the luckiest voyeur in the world as he took it off and then slid the very form fitting white undershirt over his head.

He was... _incredible_ looking. Even in the dim glow cast from the streetlamp outside that filtered through the blinds, she could see that he was strong, cut, and still lean, and the entire expanse of his broad chest was decorated with dark ink. Pictures that she wanted to study, and probably would have if he wasn't reaching for his belt.

As his pants fell to the floor in a puddle she felt guilty for staring, worried that he might be self-conscious. Her hands came up to undo the side tie on her dress and the small button on the inside, before she took it off. She was left in front of him in nothing but her pale peach bra and thong as he made short work of his shoes and socks.

Tuck stood still for a moment, taking her in, pale perfect skin that hadn't been touched by the California sun. Her curves were everything he thought they would be, and he knew that the flimsy fabric of his boxer briefs was doing absolutely nothing to hide the evidence of his need. He reached for her again, and encouraged her to get on the bed so he could crawl up and follow until she was resting below him. He was fast losing his ability to think about anything but her amazing body and what it was going to feel like to touch every single inch of her, but part of him knew that he had to do what was right. He wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror if he didn't.

"Please tell me if you want me to stop," He said in a husky breath. "At anytime."

Juliana shook her head, ignoring her panic, "No, God, don't stop."

He kissed her again, letting his weight settle on her body as he instinctively ground his harness against the crux of her thighs, unable to stop the groan of pleasure at the feeling of dampness. It had been so goddamn long since he'd felt this. A woman underneath him with the same unabashed want and desire that he was feeling. A small concern floated through his head, he was so primed from just looking at her that he knew as soon as his flesh touched hers he was going to lose it. He had to do right by her. The trust she was putting in his hands demanded it.

So he used every bit of concentration and patience that he had as he moved his lips to her neck, collar bone and shoulders, covering them with hot, slow kisses as he pulled down the straps of her bra to expose more skin. She instantly complied, reaching underneath her back to unhook it and letting him pull it off. He stared at her breasts and it was like someone hit him over the head with a baseball bat. Arousal and pure lust slammed into him and he was gone. Any common sense and thought was lost as he descended into a mindset that had nothing at all to do with anything but _feeling_.

Tears filled Juliana's her eyes as his soft mouth moved on her body in the sweetest, most passionate and gentle way. His hands came up to tug on the waist of her panties and she knew as they slid down her legs that she would never be the same after tonight. Everything was tingling, from her head to her toes, and as she felt his thick, rough fingers come up between her legs to part her soaking wet flesh an almost pained cry tore out of her mouth. He was watching her face intently, and even though she was still petrified, she could do nothing but meet his stare.

She wanted him to know what he was doing to her.

And when he dipped his finger inside her body some part of the pain of her past fell away.

A second one joined it in a smooth glide, reaching and finding that place inside her that she swore had died. Her hips moved of their volition, rocking against his hand as she felt the beginnings of it already starting. But she didn't want her first climax with a man in over a year to be as a result of fingers...she'd had that over and over again.

Emotion choked her as she tried to speak, "I want to feel you, Tuck."

He nodded slowly as he reached down to slide the last piece of his clothing away, leaving them completely bare in so many ways. Ever the responsible man, he asked for reassurance, knowing that somewhere Franklin was pointing and laughing at him. Though he wasn't sure how he was able to think at all with the amount of blood that was diverted below his waist. "Do you...would you prefer me to wear a condom?"

Juliana spoke from her desire alone, "I'd rather feel you." But even now she was practical, "I have an IUD...and I'm tested...for work..."

"Me too...for work...I'm clean..."

"Okay."

She didn't want to be shaking like this, like a scared virgin. But when he began to kiss her again, full of need and passion, it all fell away. He held her eyes as she felt him reach down, and then the blunt tip of his manhood as he rubbed it gently through her slick wetness before he began to push inside.

Oh, God, she _did_ feel like a fucking virgin. He was very well endowed, and with a year removed from feeling this it was actually painful as he seated himself inch, by inch, until he was fully inside her. She felt the tears slide out of her eyes in big, thick rivers from the pressure, and he kissed them away.

"Am I hurting you?" He asked in a pained whisper.

"It feels wonderful," She answered honestly. It was true, she hadn't felt anything so wonderful in so long, "Please, move."

Tuck nodded as he lowered his head to her neck and began to thrust in and out of her in deep, slow movements that had them both gasping out at the sensation. He buried his face against her shoulder as he felt something take over again, and he surrendered completely to it.

His hand came down to take the satiny smooth skin of her hip in a tight grasp as he began to move his hips in earnest. It wasn't long before he could feel her tighten up around him and with her breathy moans in his ear getting louder and louder she began to shake, and finally he felt her come apart in a strong rhythmic pulse.

Juliana cried out in a low sob of overwhelming sensation as she felt her climax unfurl and roll like a tidal wave. But he didn't stop, using a concentration he didn't know he had when he wasn't in the field with a gun on him, he rode out her orgasm before letting his own take hold. He groaned loudly as it hit him, his seed pumping out in a long powerful blast, taking him under and into absolute bliss.

They both stilled, breathing hard, and completely and utterly exhausted. The physical and emotional release combined with the wine and the late hour had them both drifting in and out of it. There weren't words exchanged, as he gently slid out of her body and they both climbed under the soft blankets.

There was a strange feeling of complete ease as Tuck curled in behind her, moving the soft mass of her curly hair so he could pull her tightly into his arms. Juliana tried to think about what had happened as she was normally wont to do in any situation, but tonight she couldn't do anything but breathe deep and smile as he held her close, letting the delicious smell of his cologne and the warmth of his body lull her into a peaceful sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Oh Lord, I can't stop with these two. The Muse is happy...and crazy! **

**I hope you all enjoy this next little bit!**

**Oh, as always...reviews give me love! And thank you for all the support! **

**Also I am letting this out rough...cause I have to! It is late and I am lazy! But I'll revise if necessary! **

* * *

_Anchorage, Alaska  
_

There wasn't any time.

They were following him now, he was sure of it, and it wouldn't be long until his end would come. He would end up in a frozen ditch on the side of the road with a bullet between the eyes- if he was lucky.

But even if his life was forfeit, he could still do something with it. Something that he should have done a month ago that would have stopped this entire thing from happening.

His hands were shaking and his body was awash with a freezing wave of adrenaline and terror as he walked the short distance across the empty parking and into the small post office. He dropped the small parcel in the overnight mail slot and walked out.

She would know what to do. She could handle the responsibility, and when the time came, if it all had to be destroyed, she should be the one to do it. She deserved it- he _owed _her that.

It was this thought and feeling of calmness that flowed through his mind as he walked back across the parking lot to his car.

He didn't see the van behind him as it pulled in and slowed to a crawl, the side panel door sliding open as three men jumped out and grabbed him, jabbing a needle into his neck and pulling a dark hood over his body.

The tires squealed against the frozen pavement as it sped out of the lot and out of sight.

* * *

Juliana came to slowly, smiling as the bright California sun rushed through her blinds. She breathed deep and bit her lip as the flesh in between her thighs twinged with a slight bit of soreness. Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled just why it felt like that, and then a realization dawned that was infinitely less pleasant.

Her blue eyes blinked open to notice that, one; she'd forgotten to take her contact lenses out last night, and two; she was alone in her bed. She instantly frowned, and for a split second she actually wondered if it all had been some sort of elaborate psychosomatic hallucination.

Her hand came out to touch the sheets beside her and they were still a little warm, and as she leaned over to the pillow, she could still smell the wonderful spicy aroma of his cologne.

It had been real.

She'd been on an amazing date with Tuck Hansen, and he'd spent the night in her bed with his arms around her after they'd had the most absolutely incredible sex of her entire life…and now he was gone. He didn't even say goodbye.

Juliana tried not to cry, but her eyes watered of their own accord. She laughed darkly, what did she expect? She gave it up and slept with him on the first date like some sort of skank. He probably took it as an indication of the type of woman she was and gracefully decided to bow out.

Her mind, that had been clouded the previous night with a little wine and a lot of lust, now began to work overtime. What if he didn't like the way she looked naked? She wasn't exactly a perfect prize compared to the thin Barbie dolls that surrounded him every day.

Or what if she hadn't been good? It had been a while since she'd been with a man…and well, Gregg certainly hadn't been satisfied with her. She was probably terrible at sex.

Oh, God, and how was she going to be able to look Lauren in the face again? She was supposed to go away with her in two weeks to look at her wedding place for the weekend…and it probably went without saying that her fiancé's best friend was going to be there.

Ugh. She felt absolutely nauseated.

Suddenly the sound of her front door opening echoed through the apartment. Juliana sat up, clutching the sheet to her naked chest as her heart raced with panic. Perfect, she had a one night stand, and now a burglar was going to stab her in her bed; great way to go, Marchetti.

But her panic was instantly replaced with rush of a completely different kind when Tuck's handsome form appeared in her doorway with a tray of four take out coffee cups and a couple paper bags in his hand. He was half dressed in his suit, his tie and coat were missing, and his shirt was casually buttoned and untucked.

He caught her concerned eyes with a sheepish smile, and she could see the tips of his ears dusting with a bit of blush. "Good morning, love. I…um, I wanted to get you some breakfast and coffee. But then I realized that I have no idea how you take it, or even if you like coffee, so I got you a regular one, a decaf, a latte and a cup of tea. I also got creamers, sugar, Equal, Splenda and Stevia so you could prepare it to your liking. And one each of a bagel, blueberry scone, chocolate donut, and some other pastry that looked far too much like a dessert to be considered a breakfast food."

Juliana knew she was beaming, how she could have even doubted this man for one minute was foolish. He was seriously too good to be true.

"Thank you so much," She said, "And for further reference I am a northeast girl at heart no matter where I am, always a regular coffee with three cream and two sugars."

He smiled back at her and rested his cargo on the bedside table closest to him as he began to unbutton his shirt. He paused for a moment and bit his bottom lip with a grin. "You don't mind if we eat this in bed, do you?"

"No."

She swallowed hard as he pulled off his shirt and left the broad expanse of his tattooed chest on display to her. Suddenly she was grateful for the darkness the previous night, because there was no way in hell she would have had the bravery to do anything but drool. Christ, he was gorgeous; there was no other way to describe it.

His eyes darkened again as he saw her watching him undress, and he slid his pants down and kicked off his socks and shoes before he spoke in a husky whisper, "I'm sorry, love. Suddenly I am not hungry for food any longer."

Juliana couldn't contain the gasp of pure arousal as he dropped his boxer briefs in a quite unabashed display of his intent. Holy shit, she just stared at him…or more accurately…_it._

Now, despite what her pathetic romantic past may have been, she had seen a man's package before…a few of them. And some had even been decent. But nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared her for him. It was as beautiful as the rest of him, tall, and proud and thick…she praised the darkness for the second time, because there was no way she would have been able to take him without fainting from the shock.

Actually she wasn't sure that she still wouldn't do it now.

Then there was a realization that set the tender skin between her legs on fire again- _that _had been inside her last night, and made her come harder than she had in _years_. And she wanted to feel it again.

It was lust, she reasoned, some sort of primitive wiring in the remnants of the reptile part of her brain that made her do it. Because the voice in her head was suddenly gone, and it was replaced by a rush and a feeling of pure need that made her drop the sheet that was covering her and expose her breasts to him.

"I wouldn't be much of a host if I let you go hungry," She whispered, amazed at the way the brazen words just flowed out of her mouth, like she was comfortable saying something like that.

Tuck climbed onto the bed and reached out for her, threading his hand into her thick mass of unruly curls as he cupped the back of her head, pulling her to his waiting mouth. She kissed him deeply, not giving a care in the least that she must have had some sort of morning breath, and as he enthusiastically responded to her, sliding his tongue into her mouth, she realized he must not particularly care either.

His lips were so soft and full that she was amazed at the way they seemed to take hers, and as he slid his mouth down to kiss along her neck, she didn't stop the low moan that poured out.

"You are so beautiful," He murmured into her ear as he took the lobe in a gentle tug. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night, I could barely remember my own name I was so far gone."

Juliana smiled and gasped as his lips moved to her collarbone, and then he used the bulk of his body to press her backwards so she was laying down flat.

"I didn't know you were such a lightweight, we only had two glasses of wine."

He laughed and the vibration of his mouth tickled her breast bone as he began to kiss down her chest, "It wasn't the wine, I was drunk on you." He brushed his lips in a feather light kiss against the straining pink bud of her nipple before he spoke again, "I think I still am."

She arched her back as he suddenly latched onto her breast, suckling with a warm, wet kiss. Her hand came up to tangle in his short hair and he groaned in appreciation when her nails raked gently against his scalp.

He felt so damn amazing. Her eyes slid closed as she felt him pull down the sheet on top of her to expose her body completely. She shivered and burned at the same time as arousal surged through her veins. She was so soaking wet between her legs already that she could actually feel it rub onto her thighs.

She was so lost in sensation that she missed the way he was moving between her legs until she felt his warm breath trailing down her stomach. But when he dipped his tongue into her navel she suddenly came to, realizing just what he was going to do. Her heart began to race, no one had done that to her for a very long time. Her ex didn't like it...and she'd always been a little self-conscious about the whole thing.

"Can I taste you?" Tuck asked as he kissed the soft flesh of her belly.

Juliana swallowed hard squeezing her eyes shut tight, "I haven't taken a shower...I..." She felt so foolish, she couldn't look at him.

"I don't care," he mumbled, his breath moving lower to the very inside of her thigh where he kissed her again. "Please?"

An absolutely electric sensation began in her stomach, his words, spoken in that deep, rich voice was making her completely insane with arousal. In the end she couldn't even bring herself to speak, she just nodded.

She couldn't control the cry of pure pleasure as his mouth finally touched her hot, sensitive flesh with the same kind of passionate attention that he had shown her mouth.

"Oh, God," She whispered desperately, her mouth was completely out of her control, and as she felt his tongue slither deep inside her to stroke her from the inside she began to mumble incoherently. "I've never felt anything like your mouth, you are incredible at that...oh, please, yes..."

Tuck tried to stay grounded and focused, but it was a battle he was losing by the second.

He'd intended to be a gentleman this morning and get her some breakfast and just enjoy her company. But when he saw her again, clutching the baby blue sheet against her perfect skin and her thick curly hair mussed in a chaotic tumble from sleep and from what he did to her, he was back in that almost animal state he'd pretty much existed in the previous evening.

And damn it, whatever higher reasoning skills he hoped to have, he lost them all the moment her put his mouth between her legs.

It had been ages since he'd done this, and even longer since he'd enjoyed it as much as he was right now. She tasted sweet as honey, with a distinct tang of musky salt that had to have been from him.

His sanity was hanging by a thread, he couldn't let go yet, but her breathless, high pitched whispers praising his prowess certainly wasn't helping the situation at all. Thankfully as he moved his attention to the little pearl at the apex of her sex it was already swelling and stiffening.

Tuck was embarrassed to hear himself actually growl as he felt her flesh twitch and finally she cried out in a beautiful, loud moan as her back arched off the bed and a flood of more sweetness came out to meet his greedy mouth. He drank up every last bit of it, before he kissed her there gently one last time before he looked up to meet the stunning visage of her face, flushed red and her blue eyes wide with shock.

He slowly crawled up her body, his stare solely focused on her mouth; needing to kiss her again. His lips took hers, and he loved the way she didn't hesitate to taste herself all over him.

He was absolutely losing his mind. His body was shaking as he reached down to take himself in his hand and guide it back to her perfect, wet, warmth. A hiss and a groan slipped from his mouth into hers as he felt how incredibly tight her climax had made her, he wasn't going to last.

Reluctantly he pulled away from her mouth to bow his head so he could get some sense of calm back into his body again. The instinct was screaming at him now, he wanted to take her hard and fast, he wanted to growl and grunt like an animal claiming its territory...he wanted to make her scream out her pleasure...and he was completely mortified. For fuck's sake he'd just met this sweet woman, what would she think of him?

So instead he settled for holding her close and rising up on his knees, giving him the freedom to thrust into her and still feel her soft body moving with him.

"You feel amazing," He managed to breathe out in a low huff. Her hands clutched at his broad shoulders and she gasped a reply as he sped up his movements.

"So do you, oh _God_, I've never felt anything like this..." Juliana felt it begin again, this time so deep inside her she felt like it was coming from her very core. "I...you are going to make me come."

She felt herself blush, she'd never spoken so freely in the midst of sex before, but this man made her want to do things she didn't even dare to mention. It made no sense at all, she'd just met him.

Tuck shivered at her admission, he could feel it too, building along with his own end that was already licking down his spine like white hot flames of heat- it was going to be a damn photo finish.

"Please, come," He begged, "Darling, I can't hold on much longer."

Her nails dug into his back and she moaned lowly as it hit her all at once, rolling from her core to radiate out to every inch of her body, before snapping back to a powerful wave that had her insides clenching and throbbing in a strong, fast rhythm.

Juliana was so lost she felt like she was floating, but the heat of his orgasm brought her back to Earth. She could feel him tense and groan, and she held him close as he rode it with her.

Afterwards they lay together for a long moment in a blissful state of pure satisfaction and silence. He kissed her neck gently as he couldn't stop the smile from curling his mouth into an almost comical grin.

"At the risk of this sounding terrible, can I tell you that I think you just destroyed me, love."

She laughed as she stroked the soft skin of his back, "That doesn't sound terrible, the only thing that would be terrible would be if it never happened again."

Tuck leaned his head up on his elbow and his grey eyes were sparkling with amusement, "I can guarantee that with your blessing it will most definitely happen again, though I am no longer a young buck...so give me a minute, yeah?"

Juliana met his eyes, still in disbelief that this was actually happening to her, before she let herself smile from ear to ear, "For that, I'll wait as long as you need."

He leaned in and kissed her again soft and slow, when suddenly the loud and unmistakable sound of the 007 theme song began to play loudly in the room. FDR had messed with his ringtones when he wasn't paying attention- _again_. Christ, he could trust Joe around his phone more.

Tuck pulled out of her in a flash and practically leapt for his discarded pants until he fished out his phone.

"Hello?" He breathed in a strange tone that had Juliana covering herself and sitting up in bed.

"Hey Tuck, Tuck, what the hell are you doing man I have been texting you for the past fifteen minutes, Collins wants to see us ASAP. You got like twenty minutes to get to the office so you best get moving."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way."

"Were you just in the shower jerkin' it?" FDR asked with a smirk in his voice. "Must have been some date, man."

"Honestly, Franklin, I am hanging up."

He reached down to grab his underwear, he had to get his ass in gear, he had about a zero minute window to be there on time with Saturday morning traffic, and Collins was less than understanding of tardiness. He was zipping up his pants when he looked up to see the woman he had just made love to watching him look like he wanted to run out her front door like he was on fire.

"I am so sorry, darling." He stopped and leaned across the bed to kiss her again. "I have a last minute meeting this morning with a client that I just cannot miss. I am so sorry."

"Don't apologize, I completely understand." She answered honestly. "Work is work."

"Do you have plans for this evening?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't."

Options ran through his head that he would have normally done for a date, dinner, a movie...the pier...and then when he looked at her, he realized he wanted this woman to do something with him that was _his_ life.

"What do you say to a casual night, a burger and a good pint?"

Juliana smiled, "Now _that_ is a Saturday night, Mr, Hansen, sounds perfect."

"I'll pick you up at six?"

She nodded and he kissed her before finishing dressing in a flash before a cheeky grin split his handsome face. He shook his head and leaned onto the bed one last time, kissing her lips and then putting his full lips to her ear.

"Feel free to wear another pair of those lacy knickers under your jeans tonight, I'd be infinitely grateful."

Despite everything that had come to pass between them, she still blushed at his words. But it wasn't enough to stop her from getting in her reply, "That can be arranged."

* * *

Tuck drove like a madman through LA traffic, making it to CIA headquarters with five minutes to spare. He fixed his shirt, trying to be dress casual in a suit, and combed through his hair to style it back into some semblance of normal. He popped a stick of gum in his mouth and jumped out of his truck as FDR's Audi R8 jerked to a stop right next to him.

His friend shut the door of his car and pulled off his mirrored aviators, looking him up and down with a quizzical eye. It was obvious.

FDR was standing there in a casual leather coat, t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, perfectly acceptable for a Saturday morning last minute call in, and here he was in a suit. Something he never would have worn under these circumstances normally. He might as well have a glowing neon sign on his face.

"You look very nice," He said with a Cheshire cat grin.

"Thank you, Franklin," Tuck replied, praying for the first time in his life that Collins of all people would save him.

"Kinda like you are going on a date or something."

"Nice of you to notice my dressing habits."

"Tuck, Tuck," He drawled as if he was scolding him in a mock tone of voice, "Did you have a sexual encounter last night?"

"I am not speaking to you about this."

"Oh, shit!" FDR clapped, "You _did_ get laid! Finally, damn! We need to celebrate."

Tuck rolled his eyes but couldn't keep the smirk off his face if he tried, "We are having a pint and a burger at the Blarney Stone tonight, feel free to show up."

"Oh, we'll be there," He said as they walked into the office. "You , naughty boy. She was a moaner wasn't she?"

"We are done talking."

"Again?"

"Done."

* * *

The two of them walked into Collins' office where the always meticulous woman was sitting behind her desk in another immaculate suit, as if she woke up looking that way.

"Good morning," She said in her normal, sharp tone. "I apologize for bothering you on a Saturday." She paused for a moment and looked at Tuck closely. "Hansen, a little over dressed in comparison to your partner, don't you think?"

"I thought I should dress to impress," He replied cheekily. "As you always do."

Her eyes hardened, "Not impressed."

"Yes, Ma'am, I'm shutting up now."

"The reason I called you both in was to inform you that we have an interesting development in our DOD issue. This morning the abandoned car of Dr. Samuel Harkins was discovered in a post office parking lot outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Dr. Harkins is the facility director for the CDC's Anchorage location. Now this normally wouldn't have raised an alarm, except for the fact that his office was broken into this morning and his entire hard drive was stolen."

Tuck frowned, instantly remembering that Juliana had worked at that location before she was transferred to LA. He wondered how well she knew the man, and if she would have any idea as to what information might have been compromised.

"How the hell did someone just walk into the office of a CDC Director?" FDR asked tapping his foot. "That's some serious credentials to manufacture there."

Collins frowned, "It's a legitimate point Foster, and we have made ourselves available to the FBI that is currently investigating the situation. But we are having an issue dealing with a couple of high ranking Generals in USAMRIID. Apparently whatever Harkins was involved in is a matter of national security."

"So what would you like us to do?" Tuck asked as he scratched his chin.

"I want you to get Boyles, Bothwick and the IT Department to do whatever 'research' they can about programs going on in that facility. But we are taking a backseat on this until I say otherwise."

Tuck shifted uncomfortably in his seat and he stared at the floor. He knew it was protocol to say something about the fact that he was entering into a sexual relationship with someone so they could be cleared and background checked. He also knew that it was particularly important to mention that the woman he was seeing had a direct connection to this investigation, no matter how small or insignificant.

He was always a by the rules man...perfectly by the book at all times...regulations were made to be followed. But he also knew that if he told Collins about Juliana and her employment history that she would be off limits to date.

A rush of memory from their morning together coursed through his body and he could feel his pulse racing and his cock actually twitched. For the first time..._ever_...he was selfish. In fact, he thought exactly the same way that the man sitting next to him would have thought.

He didn't want to let her go.

Bloody hell, who was he kidding, he had completely fallen in love with her in two days- he _refused_ to let her go. Not this time.

There was no need to tell Collins about Juliana now. She had already been transferred, and she was a research archivist. There couldn't have been many things that crossed her desk that were a risk to national security. He would just do some more digging and see what he could find, just to be safe.

"So, we really don't have to _do_ anything of note," FDR spoke up and cut through his thoughts.

"Not particularly." Collins answered as she stacked up folders on her desk.

"Then why are we here on a Saturday?" He pressed in a tone that was far too accusatory to the Head of the CIA's Los Angeles Field Office.

The distinguished woman squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw. "You are here, because I called you here, Foster, and because I am leaving for DC for a conference in a half an hour and I won't be in the office for three days. Is that a sufficient explanation for you?"

"Yes, Ma'am," He answered instantly knowing his place.

"Now that I have Foster's approval of my travel plans, I am going to leave for the airport. I want a report on my desk Tuesday morning about whatever you can find. Now get out of my office."

"Yes, Ma'am," they replied in unison.

* * *

They both walked back to their desks with the folders that Collins had given them and Tuck scratched the back of his neck in an irritated scruff. His head was foggy, and he realized that he needed a shower, and a nap. He'd feel a lot better after that.

"Something up, man?" FDR asked nonchalantly.

"Tired," He replied without thinking.

"Ah, that would be because you gave your twig and berries a good workout last ni...wait a minute, were you banging her when I texted this morning?"

Tuck raised a scarred eyebrow at his crude question, "Do I even have to say that I am not answering that question?"

"You _were_! And that means you slept at her place and came back for seconds!" He pointed at him, "Holy shit, man! I am impressed!"

Tuck shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Can we please get this information to IT so we can get the hell out of here, I don't feel like working on a Saturday any longer than necessary."

His friend grinned as he clapped him on the shoulder, before speaking in a high pitched breathy tone, "Yes let's get this done and get you home to take a nice nap, because this woman deserves another incredibly magical evening with you."

"You are an animal."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Well, I've survived the holiday! Hope that you all enjoyed yours! The muse spent lots of time having wine and laughing loud with my too loud family…so when I started writing this little one it just kept going and going. Not a bad thing I hope.**

**There aren't a whole lot of big things that happen here, but there are a lot of little ones…small stones that will eventually trigger an avalanche. So keep that in mind as you read the fluff. There are little clues scattered here and there that I am dropping like breadcrumbs… ; ).**

**As always, your support is appreciated! Please read and review…and I promise to get back over to my Warrior fic soon…but you know her, she talks I listen.**

* * *

Juliana was singing in the shower. It wasn't particularly out of the ordinary, she was never shy about holding a solo concert in the bathroom or in the car for that matter, but she usually kept the dancing to a minimum. But this morning called for choreography. Because there was no way she could feel any better than she felt right now.

She'd had sex, _finally_. And not only the physical release, she had enjoyed it with perhaps the most gorgeous person inside and out that she had ever met. Even now, only an hour after she'd seen him last, she already wanted him again.

Alright, she wanted to be completely altruistic and say that his amazing personality and the way he made her feel was what she was thinking about right now, but that would be a bit of a lie. Instead, like an absolute horn-dog she was more focused on the way he looked incredible naked, and how he'd effortlessly made her come more times in twelve hours than she had done in the previous twelve months.

And he wanted to see her again tonight.

She was smiling like a fool as she stepped out of the shower and dried off, wrapping her hair in a towel and putting a good deal of lotion all over her body; because if she had her way, someone _would_ be touching her tonight- everywhere.

Her cell phone rang loudly from the other room, and she practically skipped out of the room to answer it, noticing that it was her middle sister, Antonia.

"Hey Toni," She breathed, completely unable to keep the utter joy out of her voice.

"Wow, you sound like you just won the lottery. What the hell happened? Two days ago I thought you were going to plummet off the nearest bridge."

Juliana laughed at the perfectly accurate assessment. "I ran into an old friend. You remember Lauren Scott; I roomed with her in Georgia?"

"The cute little blonde?"

"Yeah that's her. Well, um I ran into her and met her fiancé Franklin Foster, and um…his best friend Tuck Hansen. We went out last night on a date." She explained.

"His name is Tuck?"

Juliana laughed, "I think it's John…Tuck is a nickname…you know what, I actually have no idea, I never got around to asking him and I really could care less. He's _amazing_."

"Amazing, huh?" Her sister repeated. "That is interesting; you never date, or have anything good to say about anything with a Y chromasome. So this guy has to be something. Give me the stats."

"Let's see he's my age, I'm assuming, give or take a year. Recently divorced, has an eight year-old son, and he's in the travel business, I think he said 'Business Development Manager'. He is British, with an incredible accent, and oh, my, _God_ is he gorgeous." She gushed. "And he is literally the nicest man that I have ever met in my entire life. Toni, even Dad couldn't find anything to bust his chops about."

"And the sex?"

Juliana froze; her sister was an entire coast away from her and could still read her like a book, "You think we had sex?"

"Honestly, Jules, you basically said it when you answered the phone. '_Hellllloooo_'," She mocked her tone with a practically orgasmic note in her voice. "So, how was he?"

"Insane."

"I am impressed, especially after douche bag, I mean Gregg." Antonia laughed.

She had never liked her ex. In fact, she'd cornered him in the bathroom at her parent's house during one family get together with their baby sister Kathleen a few years ago and basically told him to his face what she thought of him. Turned out she was correct all along.

"So are you going to text me a picture of studly-good-in-the-sack or not?"

"What do you think I took a picture of him in bed while he was sleeping?" Juliana said shaking her head, yet somehow thinking that it would be a lovely masterpiece to have a picture of.

"Umm, yeah?"

"Well I didn't, maybe I'll take one covertly when we are out later."

"I expect it tonight by nine, Mom, Kath and I are going to be together for girl's night, so it will be perfect. Then we'll call you and you can put us on speaker phone so we can all grill him."

Juliana's heart sank a little. As much as she was looking forward to a night with Tuck, she really would give anything to be spending the night with her mother and her sisters drinking a few glasses of wine and ogling some movie star while eating an awesome dinner and sinful snacks.

"I'll agree to the photo, but I am not putting that poor man through that kind of torture yet," She said primly. "He is too damn sweet for that."

"Whatever," Antonia snorted. "Look I gotta go little Ryan is screaming for food. He's hungry- _again, _got the Marchetti stomach that one. But I'll talk to you soon. Love ya."

"Love you too kiddo." She said softly as she hung up, a ghost of a smile on her face.

She pulled her now damp hair out of the towel and fluffed it so her curls were able to bounce freely. She was just heading back into the bathroom when her phone chirped again. She frowned for a moment; she seriously was never this popular. She recognized the number as Lauren and picked it right up.

"Hey, Lauren."

"Hey! I just wanted to call and ask what you are doing for lunch."

Juliana could hear a loud voice in the background and she knew it was Trish, "Um nothing, why?"

"You want to meet Trish and I downtown for a little shopping and food?"

She knew exactly what was going on. They were going to wait for the optimal moment and then tag team her for every bit of information that they wanted to know about her date with Tuck, and knowing the two of them, they would know everything by the end of the afternoon.

Normally it would have bothered her, she was a very private person, but with this, she felt so damn excited she didn't mind the interrogation in the least.

"Sure," She finally answered. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Well you are by UCLA, right? Trish lives literally like right down the street. We'll come pick you up in like fifteen minutes, is that good?"

"Yeah, I just have to get dressed. I'm at 872 Malcolm."

"Yay! We'll see you then." Lauren chirped excitedly into the phone.

Juliana finally put her phone down and stared at it, willing it not to ring. When it was silent for a moment she quickly walked into her bedroom, noting that while she'd made the bed, her dress from last night was still laying on the ground in a puddle of soft fuschia fabric.

She blushed and rolled her eyes as she picked it up and gently tossed it into her clothes hamper as she dressed in a stylish pair of khaki capris and a simple black tank with thick straps. She left her hair down and threw on some basic makeup before slipping on a pair of black flip-flops that would be comfortable for walking around in.

There was just enough time for her to wash the two dirty wine glasses that were still resting in the living room on their coasters...just where they had left them before they went to the bedroom.

Her doorbell rang and she grabbed her bag as she opened it to see Lauren waiting on her front door in an adorable blue sundress with a stylish pair of wedges. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled and a little windblown, and when she caught sight of Trish's cream colored VW Bug convertible it all was clear.

Lauren hugged her, "Hey sweetie!"

"Hey," She smiled.

They walked out to the car and Juliana climbed in the back seat, fastening her seatbelt and looking up to see two pairs of sharp blue eyes trained right on her.

"Geez," She scoffed, "I thought we'd at least get to lunch before the wolves descended."

Trish looked at her and narrowed her eyes in a way that Juliana had seen several times the other night, "You look different."

"My hair is down," She answered lamely.

"Yeah, that's not it." She continued to look at her and Juliana could feel her cheeks getting red at the insinuation. "You got fucked didn't you hot doctor."

"Trish!" Lauren squealed. "Stop it, they did not. Did you?"

Now her entire face was flushed bright red and Trish beamed, "Yeah she did. Hell yeah, you go get that dick!" She raised her hand and Juliana reluctantly slapped it "five".

"You and Tuck slept together after one night?" Lauren asked in disbelief. "That is... just _so_ not something he does."

Juliana frowned as she stared at her old friend, a little irritated with the way she said that. "Yeah, thanks Lau, I don't sleep around either for your information. We went out, had an absolutely incredible night and it ended up in the bedroom. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," She said defensively. "You are one of my oldest friends Jules, but Tuck's...he doesn't live an easy life, and..."

"Woah, woah, woah," She said angrily. "Tuck and I talked all about what he does for a living and what his schedule is like. I am mature enough to understand that being in a relationship with him would require being alone from time to time. I don't need a man around 24/7. And by the way, why are you so concerned about me hurting him when you obviously didn't feel the need to continue a relationship with him?"

Lauren's face blanched and she suddenly looked embarrassed. "He told you we dated?"

"He was completely honest with me," She answered. "Which I appreciated, by the way, since the M.O. with men I am with is that they lie through their teeth and I end up heartbroken. I really like him a lot, a real lot actually. It's the first time in a year I've been able to be with a man and actually enjoy myself. So I'd appreciate it if you backed off on the judgmental princess bit."

Lauren frowned at her friend's matter-of-fact answer. "I am so sorry, Jules. I have no idea what made me be such a bitch. I love you, and I love Tuck too, he's FDR's best friend and I just want to see him happy. He deserves to be with someone who loves him for who he is, and if that is you, I can't imagine him with anyone better."

"Well, thanks. Apology accepted."

Trish rolled her eyes, "Yeah, okay, enough of that bitches, so tell me all about him in the buff. I'm talkin' length, width, girth; is he a nasty freak- which I know he is by the way, he's a quiet boy, and you know what they say about quiet boys."

"No?" Lauren and Juliana said in unison.

"Bad boys rattle the bed, but quiet boys shake the house."

"I have never heard that," Lauren said skeptically. "I don't think it's a real saying."

"Oh it's real," She insisted as she started the car. "You just wait, give it a few days and hot doctor here is going to be tied to the bed posts getting nipple clamps put on and waking the neighbors."

Juliana put her head in her hands as they drove off, grateful for the breeze in her face. This woman was too much. But despite the mortification, in the end she didn't care. She was waaaaaay too far gone on cloud nine to even notice that she should have been embarrassed.

* * *

The afternoon of lunch and shopping was extremely enjoyable, and she had even picked up a cute pair of low-rise Tommy Hilfiger jeans at Trish's insistence that they made her ass look amazing. Actually she hadn't used that phrase, she'd instead said something crude involving comparing her butt to a bongo drum and insinuating that it would end up getting banged by a big drumstick.

She stood in front of her bedroom mirror after freshening up in the shower and frowned openly at the closet full of clothes in front of her.

Tuck had said casual night at a local pub in jeans. Trish and Lauren both insisted that she couldn't be caught dead like that, she needed to dress to impress.

Juliana shook her head, he'd already been intimate with her, what else was there to pretend to hide underneath a dress and heels? Besides it wasn't like she was planning on wearing a gross stained shirt.

She put on a fitted light pink v-neck t-shirt and turned in the mirror to look at herself, it really wasn't bad at all. And when she slid on her new jeans and comfy black Converse All Star sneakers, she really did feel incredible. For the first time in a long time, she felt like the same confident woman who graduated at the top of her class from medical school; the one who didn't need anything or anyone to make her feel like she was special.

But somehow she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Tuck would feel the same way about her answering the door tonight as he did last night when she was all painted and primped.

And that was precisely why she had put on a hot pink g-string and matching bra that had been buried at the bottom of her drawer since her sister gave it to her at Christmas as a prank. He deserved it.

Juliana was just walking out of her bedroom when her doorbell rang, and she couldn't stop grinning like a fool as she walked to the door. She pulled it open to reveal the man himself, looking far better than should be considered appropriate in a casual navy blue button up shirt over a snug white tee and in a pair of jeans and newer black Nikes. She was suddenly very glad that she took her own advice with her outfit; she would have felt way overdressed in a skirt and heels.

He smiled at her, his full lips pulling into a beautiful grin as his cheeks dusted red. "I shouldn't tell you this, but I have spent the entire day thinking about you."

She laughed back at him and shook her head, "Why shouldn't you tell me that?"

"Because it makes me sound like a pathetic wanker," He mused as he stared at her lips.

Juliana felt like she was watching a movie, because she never, _ever_, under any circumstances, would have been brave enough to do what she was doing now. Without a thought she took a step out her door and reached up to take his incredibly inviting mouth with a deep kiss.

She could smell his cologne, and the citrusy shaving cream he must have used, and as his arms came up to wrap around her waist to hold her, she couldn't help but sigh. This was the most foolish thing in the world. Two days ago she had no idea that this man even existed, and now she couldn't imagine not being around him.

Her lips finally pulled away and she looked up to stare into his thoughtful grey eyes, smiling and biting her lip shyly. "I don't appreciate being insulted."

Tuck tilted his head in confusion before she continued, "Because if thinking about someone all day makes you a pathetic _wanker_, then I'm as pathetic as you are."

He chuckled at the way she mocked both his accent and his foolish behavior. And as his hands still rested on her waist, he began to absently stroke his thumbs against the thin fabric of her t-shirt. He wanted her, again, already, and with no reservations for the fact that they had dinner plans. She looked amazing in casual clothes, nothing but jeans, trainers and a plain shirt, and somehow it was even more enticing than the dress that she wore the night before.

Maybe it was because, for all that could be said about dressing well, seeing her like this made him think about how she was in her everyday life. The way she was with her family…and perhaps how she'd be with him…and Joe. It was that thought that finally tamed the raging hard on that had been building and allowed him to be a gentleman again.

"Well, I wouldn't want to insult you." He smiled. "Shall we go? Because I don't know about you, but I am absolutely starving."

Juliana reached in to grab her purse and locked the door as she followed him to the car, "I _am_ starving actually, I had a salad when I was out with Lauren and Trish for lunch, and I have no idea how women out here don't wither away. There was nothing to it."

Tuck opened the door for her like a gentleman and waited for her to climb up, taking just enough time to admire the way that her jeans clung nicely to her rounded back end, and to notice that there weren't any underwear lines that he could see. Had she done what he requested? Of course that train of thought was conducive to nothing but returning him to the discomfort of a hard cock in the confines of his jeans.

Thankfully he actually processed the words she said a few seconds later as he crossed around to his side of the car and climbed in. "Ah, so lunch with Lauren and Trish how did that go?"

"Interesting," She answered with a smirk as she slid on her sunglasses. "One step better that I imagine the Spanish Inquisition was. Though I am pretty sure those people weren't mortified as they were tortured."

Tuck laughed loudly and looked over at her with a grin, "Well, if you survived that, I am sure it is all downhill and smooth sailing from here."

Juliana arched her brow with a sigh, "Not even close, Mr. Hansen, my sister Antonia called this morning. She expects to speak to you later this evening on speaker phone with my mother and my baby sister."

"That sounds lovely."

"Mmm, you say that now, until they have you cornered, Toni's like Trish's loud Italian clone."

He shook his head and reached over with his hand to take hers. "If it means getting in good with your family, I will do it, love, no matter how painful."

Juliana's stomach fluttered as she smiled at him, there was no way this was real...this couldn't be her life.

* * *

The Blarney Stone was a real Irish pub in downtown LA. Honestly real, because Tuck explained it had actually been transported piece by piece from Dublin by the owner's father. It was a little worn in and it definitely wasn't a place that heels and a dress fit in, but as they took a seat in the corner of the bar and she looked at the impressive drinks on draught, there was no place that she would have rather been.

The bartender was a thin blonde, covered in tattoos with blue eyes and an almost indecipherable Cork County accent, named Eamon. He slapped down a bottle of Bud Light and a menu the minute Tuck sat down.

"What can I get ya?" He asked Juliana with a smile.

She stared at the tap and her eyes bugged out of her head when she noticed they had Magners Cider. It was her and her baby sister Kathleen's drink of choice at their favorite Irish pub called The Fastnet in Newport, Rhode Island. Kathleen's husband Brian was an Lieutenant in the Navy, and was stationed at the Naval War College in town as an instructor.

"Oooh, Magners please," She said as she stared at the menu.

When her glass came a few seconds later, she raised it to Tuck and he clinked the neck of his bottle against it and took a long pull off it. Juliana had a healthy sip of her own, keeping her eyes on the way his lips looked just obscene as he drank...and her mind on the memory of what those same lush pillows felt like as they worked between her legs...

She cleared her throat as she looked at the menu, feeling her cheeks burning red. "So, what do you recommend?"

"The burgers are incredible," Tuck said with a small grin, as if he knew what she was thinking. "Though admittedly not the healthiest thing in the world. They have one topped with corned beef, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing that is just this side of orgasmic."

Juliana laughed, "Now how can I refuse that, if I have one more salad I am going to lose my mind, and I am not really worried about the calories, I've been working out hard lately."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she turned bright red knowing how they could have been taken.

"Is that right?" Tuck mused playfully.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, tying to save face. "Yes, Mr. Hansen, I have been doing yoga since I arrived in Los Angeles for your information."

He turned to her and she smiled as his legs touched hers, "Have you, now?" He leaned in until his mouth was against her ear, "What sort of positions does this yoga have you getting in, love?"

Juliana's heart was pounding, and her entire body was completely awash in arousal. His low voice, speaking those words, in that accent...she could feel her core throb and wetness flood between her crossed legs. It was the lust that had her talking.

"A couple that have been very standard, but extremely successful." She pulled her head away, just far enough to have her lips brushing against his. "But I have a feeling I am going to be doing a host of new ones very soon."

His grey eyes were dark, the same way they had been on her couch last night, and she knew he was as far gone in whatever this was between them as she was.

"Always good to try new things," He mumbled before he took her lips hungrily, not caring in the least that they were in public.

A loud whistle cut through the moment, and the couple pulled apart to see FDR and Lauren walking over with smiles on their faces.

"Tuck, Tuck, there _are_ laws about having an encounter in public," FDR said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"So, Franklin, I see that you are going to make me regret informing you of my plans this evening." Tuck said, letting his hand rest on Juliana's leg.

"Boys, honestly." Lauren sighed as she came over to give Juliana a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, before sitting on a stool next to her. "Behave will you."

The blonde was wearing a cute pair of khaki shorts and wedges with a frilly white blouse that made her look effortlessly tiny and gorgeous. For a brief moment, Juliana felt self-conscious again. She wasn't a petite pixie, and she wasn't dressed sexy at all...and he'd dated Lauren, so he probably liked that in a woman. Here she was in jeans having a beer and a burger like one of the guys.

She tried to sit up and somehow make herself look more like a lady, and when Eamon returned to take their order, her first instinct was to get a salad. But thankfully Tuck ordered for her, the previously mentioned orgasmic quality burger. There was no turning back now.

Lauren ordered a veggie burger and a martini, and FDR actually went with the same burger and a Bud Light.

* * *

Five minutes after her dinner arrived, Juliana was instantly grateful for the fact that she had let Tuck order for her. It was a masterpiece- a cheesy, meaty, delicious work of art.

She relished every single mouthful, and as she washed it down with her pint of hard cider she couldn't help but agree with his assessment- it _was_ practically orgasmic.

"This was amazing, thank you," She said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin and let out a satisfied sigh. "I can't believe I ate the entire thing."

He smiled at her and grabbed one of the remaining pub fries from her plate and popped it in his mouth, "Can I just tell you it is absolutely refreshing to be in the company of a woman who eats a meal?"

"Well I am Italian, sir, if I don't eat I am pretty sure that I wither up and die."

Lauren daintily wiped her mouth after managing to eat her _entire_ veggie burger, the black bean salsa that came with it, and most of her fiancé's fries, before she stared up at her friend.

"So," She said with knowing smile, her blue eyes glinting, "I have to book the rooms up in Napa on Monday for our little wedding outing. I was just wondering if you guys want one room or two."

Juliana paused for a moment, the word "one" already on her lips, and chanced a look at Tuck who was patiently looking at her with a hungry eagerness still in his eyes.

"It's up to you, love," He said quietly. "If you would prefer to have your own place for privacy, it's very understandable. I mean, we've only just met, and I wouldn't want to intrude."

She enjoyed his incredibly polite and reserved words that directly contradicted what she knew he was thinking and feeling. But he still respected her enough to let her make the decision, and that was why the answer was so incredibly simple.

"Well, I mean I would hate to take up another room if we are going to be spending a good deal of time together. It seems a bit wasteful, don't you think?"

"Wow," FDR chuckled as he drained his beer. "That is probably the equivalent of reading the Gutenberg Bible between the lines. Why can't you two just say, 'one room because we plan on getting our freak on whenever we can'?"

Tuck rolled his eyes, "Because I am a gentleman, Franklin, and Juliana is a lady." But the way he squeezed her leg at the same time, let her know that his friend's statement was not far from accurate.

FDR shook his head at the roundabout denial, "You are so repressed, it's sad."

"There are private things that some enjoy keeping private, mate." Tuck replied as he finished his beer and nodded to the bartender. "And you shouldn't confuse modesty with reticence."

His eyebrows instantly raised at the comment, "Ah, I get it now, proper gent and all that on the street, but a freak in the bed, I respect that, man."

"If that is how you took that statement," Tuck said waiving his hand casually. "There is no point in continuing the conversation."

Lauren giggled sweetly and smiled, "So one room then?"

Juliana blushed furiously as she answered, now unable to look at the man next to her, "Sure."

* * *

The foursome ended up moving to one of the billiard tables in the back of the bar with a fresh round of drinks not too long after.

"So, how about a friendly game of guys against girls," FDR suggested as he grabbed a stick off the wall and chalked the tip of it with a grin.

Lauren's eyes narrowed as she stared at her fiance. "What's the angle, dear? What are we betting? Because I know you too well to think there isn't a catch."

He sauntered up to the petite woman and held the stick between his hands like a bar before putting it over her head and resting it against her backside so he could pull her close. He leaned down to her face with a grin, "How about loser has to do all the work later?"

She shrugged, "That's fine I guess."

"I'll even go easy on you, you ladies can break." He pressed arrogantly as he kissed her nose, "Wouldn't want you two to feel too bad about losing."

Lauren stepped out from his arms to grab two sticks off the wall as she handed one to Juliana with a polite smile, "Do you want to 'break' or do you want me to?"

Her voice was practiced and to a passerby there would have been no clue as to what she was saying, but Juliana nodded with a smirk. This had been a very, very long standing joke between the two women going all the way back to their starving college days. There was nothing like two pretty girls running a table against a couple of guys who didn't know better.

And despite the fact that she hadn't played in a while...she wasn't _that_ rusty.

"Umm, I'll do it I guess."

FDR racked up the balls and she reached out to take one of the sticks that Lauren handed her. She absently chalked up the end and walked up to the table awkwardly taking the cue and purposely resting her hand on the felt completely wrong. Juliana could feel the nerves fluttering in her gut as she did it, knowing what would happen.

Just as she knew he would, Tuck, being a perfect gentleman, was concerned that she was unfamiliar with what to do. He came over to her and stood behind her, his warm body smelling utterly delicious from the cologne as he leaned into her ear. "Would you like some help? I can show you how to do it."

She actually shivered at the words, but somehow found the strength to look over her shoulder at him with a straight face. "Would you?"

Tuck nodded and she felt like a shameless flirt as she leaned over the table and let him come up behind her. Her ass was nestled into his crotch and she could feel the hard wall of his muscled chest along the length of her back as his face came to rest near her ear. Juliana swallowed and her heart began to race as he gently gathered the mass of her curly hair over her shoulder so he could lean in closer, there was no way she could do this without losing it.

His large hand rested on hers on the table and he weaved the stick in their fingers. "You want to aim for the lower middle of the cue ball."

She could hear a strained catch in his voice, and she knew he was gone. "And pull back a little further than normal, it's better to have a strong hit than a fast one."

"Okay," She said quietly, fighting the urge to gasp out loud as his hips rocked with their movements. Jesus Christ he felt so incredible surrounding her like this...it was a huge tease as to what something else would be like in this position.

He finally pushed forward with her and sent the cue sailing perfectly across the table and into the waiting triangle of pool balls, scattering them across the table and a few into the pockets.

Tuck stood up and Juliana followed, turning to him with a red face and a sly smile, "Thanks, we're going to go ahead and take solids."

He quirked his head and raised a scarred eyebrow at her confident tone, and when she effortlessly sent the next four shots in, calling the pocket out, he knew that he'd been had. But the memory of her soft, curvy body under his made it completely worth it, and after all his partner's foolish bet had meant that he would have to spend the entire night "doing all the work". It was a prospect he couldn't really find any reason to disagree with.

* * *

Lauren gleefully sank a ridiculous shot, leaning half over the table and around her back and high fived a beaming Juliana before they catalogued the massacre on the green felt. They were staring down the pathetic barrel of destroying the men in a best-of-seven tournament.

Tuck threw back his beer with a huge gulp, he should care that they were losing, or be able to make jokes about it like the man next him, but honestly all he could think of the way Juliana's ass looked in her jeans as she bent over the table to take her shots.

Bloody hell, the crotch of his jeans was shrinking by the second.

"Hey there Mr. Deep-in-porno-thoughts," FDR's voice broke him out of his daze. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine, mate." He mumbled, thinking his date really needed to stop bending over.

His friend paused for a second and stared at him with a serious look on his face, his voice dropping so only they could hear. "Jesus, man, you really have it bad for her."

Tuck chuckled wryly, "I honestly can't control myself. She's smart, sexy, and so fucking real. Look at her, it's the first time in years I don't feel like I have to play something...or someone else..." He paused as he shook his head, "And I need to stop fucking talking because I sound like a bloody fool."

FDR clapped him on the back, "Nah, I like it. Good to see you finally spending time with a woman who deserves it."

He nodded at the sentiment and caught her eyes from across the table, loving the way she looked at him. It was perfect, until a little quiver in his stomach reminded him that he was completely falling for her, and at the same time, while she was giving him everything, he was lying to her about who he was.

* * *

The billiards debacle went in favor of the two women by almost an embarrassing margin, and it was a little before eleven when they decided to take off.

Lauren, after three martinis and a glass of wine was practically bouncing on her heels as they walked out onto the sidewalk. "I want to go dancing."

Her fiancé took one look at his rather casual ensemble and shook his head, "I am not in pristine club condition tonight, let's take this inspiration back to the house, there can still be dancing there…in fact you can do all the dancing you want, princess. Tables, counters, whatever you want."

She shook her head and pointed at him a little more than slightly drunk, "Oh, no, you get no dancing tonight, Foster. Tonight I am going to lay back and to nothing, and you had better be up to it."

"Oh, I'm up to it."

Juliana shook her head; this was fast becoming a conversation that she wanted very little to do with before it became a nice X-rated street show. As was becoming a habit, Tuck was already on her wavelength. She felt his hand take hers before he spoke.

"And on that note you two, we are going to head out."

Lauren frowned before she swayed on her feet and reached out to take them both in a huge hug, "I _love_ you guys. Both of you! You look so good together." She paused and looked at them again, a serious look of her pretty face. "I mean it, you two are like, perfect for each other. And Jules you were right today, I know you'll be able to handle it when he's halfway around the world on some assignment."

Tuck's eyes snapped up to FDR's and they exchanged a sharp glance as he wrangled his tipsy fiancé with a joke. "Alright there Ms. Scott, let's get you home."

"Okay…can we stop for ice cream? I really want ice cream." She said as he steered her towards the car.

FDR looked over his shoulder at them with a wry smile, "We'll see you two later. Have a good night, and try not to wake the neighbors with loud animal noises."

Juliana laughed and looked up at Tuck who was scrubbing the back of his neck with his hand in an adorable gesture that screamed of him being embarrassed. "Tell me why I put up with that one?" He smirked.

She leaned into his body as they started to walk towards his car, her eyes falling on his handsome face, "Because he's like family to you I am guessing, and that is something you can't change. Family is family always and forever."

"That is true." He mused as he unlocked the door to his truck for her, realizing it was the same line FDR always told him. "Speaking of, aren't I supposed to call yours tonight?"

Juliana made a face, "Ugh. No, I am at my quota of mortification for the day thanks to Trish." She fiddled in her bag and pulled out her phone, "But, I can manage at least part of her request. Let me take a picture of you."

"I don't want to be in it alone," He said as he quickly snatched her phone. "You have to be in it with me."

"I don't think so," She answered reaching back for it. "Give it to me."

Tuck held it up over her head and clicked his tongue, "Ah, ah, ah. That is no way to ask for something. Where are your manners young lady?"

She smiled at the playful fatherly tone and tried something else, instead of jumping up for it; she stepped into him and batted her eyes, putting her lips up against his. Brushing the full, plump skin with a teasing kiss before she whispered, "Please, may I have it?"

He couldn't contain the groan of lust and want that puffed from his mouth as he completely melted into her. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

The very small edge she had on him disappeared almost instantly as he kissed her deeply. As he eagerly tasted her she let go completely, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her close. They were both absolutely dizzy when they parted only moments later.

She was about to tell him that a picture together sounded like a good prospect when the flash suddenly went off to her right. He grinned and kissed her again, "Sorry about that, love, I just had to."

He brought the phone down and she laughed at the way they looked. It wasn't actually half bad for being at an odd angle at the last minute. But it was the look on their faces that she really liked. The way he was looking at her, and the way she was looking back…it was proof that something wonderful was beginning.

"It's not a terrible picture," Tuck said. "I rather like it actually; you should send it to me."

"Sure," Juliana smirked. "I'll do that after you drop me off at home."

The expression on his face was priceless. She watched as he tried to fight the obvious dissatisfaction. "That sounds, lovely."

"Why, Mr. Hansen, are you disappointed? Did you expect to spend the night with me?" She said with breathless whisper, adding a nervousness to her tone that wasn't all for dramatic effect.

His eyes darkened as he stared at her, but his voice was strained when he spoke, almost sad. "I had _hoped_, love. I'm not the type of man to expect anything to come my way anymore. I've learned that it gets me nothing but a bitter feeling and a broken heart in the end."

A feeling of almost desperate need and feeling surged into her chest. It tapped into the hurt that she still felt underneath the surface, a painful sense of commiseration that she hated to know they had both dealt with in the past. He didn't deserve to feel like that, not when he had given her the two most beautiful days she'd had in a long time. She reached up to cup his face in her hand, gently stroking his smooth cheek with her thumb.

Her reply was simple, and spoken from her heart, and the only one he deserved.

"Bring me home and take me to bed, Tuck."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: This chapter is a birthday gift for the sweet as can be allaboutthegray. She requested a little special Tuck/ Juliana that I was all too happy to give her. So the extra fluff is all for you, lady! I hope you enjoy ; ).**

**Also the last scene set up, I totally ripped the staging off from the movie 'The Holiday'. If you've seen it, it may seem vaguely familiar...it just worked too well not to. So there you go.**

**Please read and review...you know the drill!**

* * *

For the second time in as many days Juliana woke up much later than usual, completely naked, with a pleasant tingle between her legs and a smile on her face that she couldn't get rid of if she tried.

She blinked her eyes open and grabbed the empty pillow next to her, bringing it to her face to breathe in the leftover scent from the man she was completely, utterly, falling head first off a cliff with no parachute, in... _love_ with.

Tuck had to leave her early this morning, a little after eight, when he'd received another call from the same client that had taken him away the morning before. He'd explained between long, luxurious, toe-curlingly sensual kisses that it was an account that would mean a very huge boost to his business if he landed it, so he had to keep them satisfied.

But he promised to call her later in the afternoon to see about making plans, because he, "Couldn't imagine a spending a night away from her arms."

It was a corny, cheese-ball line, but somehow when it came from Tuck's beautiful lips it sounded like 19th century romantic poetry that rivaled anything Shelley or Keats would have written.

Then she blushed from head to toe as she recalled a couple of _other_ things that had come out of those same lips the previous night that definitely weren't as poetic.

She was currently, and firmly placing blame on the four pints of hard cider she drank at the pub. Because when they walked into the door of her place last night, she'd no sooner shut and locked the front door then they were all over one another.

They'd practically torn each other's clothes off in the kitchen and down the hall, and when they finally tumbled onto the bed he was inside her, making love to her, before she could even realize what was happening.

There was a confidence to his movements that could have been possibly mistaken for conceit, if it wasn't for the fact that she was willing to wager that there was not an arrogant bone in his entire body. But, damn, it had to have been the little alcohol racing through his system as well, because there was a difference in him too.

The first night had been polite and very sexy, but last night he was definitely mixing a heady bit of lust into his moves. Because there was a moment when he began to really thrust into her, his hips bucking fast and hard, that she actually heard him quietly mumble something along the order of, "just like that", and it may or may not have been followed by, "so fucking good".

Even the memory had her face on fire. She'd always had a serious letch for dirty talk, but it was something she'd never felt particularly comfortable actually doing. Mostly because her early relationships had been naïve and she lacked the self-confidence, and with Gregg…it was never something she _wanted_ to do.

Oh, he had no problem at all saying things to her in the midst of it all, but from him it always managed to feel a little bit derogatory. Like it wasn't exactly a flattering remark for both of them, more like it was something that was pleasing for him alone.

But she had a feeling that with Tuck, he could say the filthiest thing in the world to her and still make it sound like a compliment.

So it was probably the dirty talk combined with the alcohol that made her moan out so loudly as she came the first time. Her entire body tingled and writhed with liquid pleasure under his as his strong hands held her hips tightly.

She felt her back arch, and she paid no mind at all to the fact that she might have sounded like a bad porno flick. She didn't care. She'd never been with a man who shattered her control like he did, and damn it- she wanted to let him hear it. She wanted him to know that it was all him driving her crazy.

And it was definitely the high from her orgasm and the dirty talk _and_ the alcohol that made her flip him onto his back and get on top.

His grey eyes were barely visible in the low light, but she could see the way his lush lips parted to let the exited pants of breath pass through. He didn't move at all, and when his hands curled into fists, she had the strangest feeling that he was holding something back from her.

She'd kissed him as she rose up on her knees, her long curls creating a curtain around their faces. His voice whispered against her mouth in a husky vibration, "I'm supposed to do the work tonight, love."

It wasn't even her voice that replied, she was too far gone for that, it was something else entirely that took over. "I don't see any reason you can't do the work from down there."

Now, she'd always enjoyed being on top, for the simple fact that it let her set the pace and take her time to get done what she needed to get done...but there was a definite shortage of the few men that she'd been with had the patience or the desire to delay their own gratification long enough to let her get there.

But Tuck..._God_...he just relaxed, lay back and put one hand behind his head and enjoyed the show like he had all the time in the world. And as she slid down on his amazing length, he felt more incredible than anything she'd felt in her entire life.

She'd put her hands on his inked chest, loving the way the small bits of coarse hair here and there scraped against her fingers, as she rode him with deep, slow rolls of her hips. She let her head fall back, and let the passion take her away, and it felt so wonderful.

His hands reached out to touch her body reverently, and soon he abandoned his relaxed position to come up and wrap his strong arms around her to pull her close. His mouth tasted every inch of skin from her breasts to her neck and lastly her lips as he began to thrust up into her, forcing them both into an intense rhythm that had gasps and groans spilling into the air between kisses.

And when they met their end it was only seconds apart, she was looking into his open, passionate stare as she cupped his face in her hands. It was the most beautiful and starkly erotic moment she'd ever shared with another person. There was nothing between them at all, just pure, vulnerable, honesty.

It was almost too much. Something nagged at her deep down, wondering if he'd had this sort of connection with his ex-wife, it was a pathetic feeling that she banished as his hands began to stroke the length of her back in long, slow caresses.

Even if he had, she had let him go, because she was obviously a complete idiot, and _she_ was not going to make the same mistake. This man wasn't going anywhere.

They were both been quiet for a long time after they finished. Just staying close, looking at one another in the low light, as their hands enjoyed gentle touched and their lips soft kisses.

She'd lost track of how long they stayed like that, but eventually their breathing began to grow deep and they both climbed under the covers and he took her into his arms and held her tightly as they fell asleep.

Juliana sighed as her body shivered at the memories. It was a goddamn good morning, and it was going to be a goddamn amazing day. She got out of bed and threw on her striped pajama pants and her shirt from the night before as she went into the bathroom to peel her contacts out of her eyes and wash her face before she put her glasses on and walked to the kitchen to get coffee.

She hummed as she grabbed a K-cup and a mug as she reached for her phone, noticing that she had ten missed phone calls and a bunch of text messages. They were all from her sisters, chastising her for reneging on her promise and calling her any number of inventive names. She smiled as she texted both her sisters the picture of her and Tuck from the night before, with a lame apology that she was "busy", and that this would have to do.

A smile crossed her face as a text from both of them instantly popped up.

_Kathleen: OH MY! SOOOO HOT :-)!_

_Antonia: GodDAMN Girl! You did GOOD! I still expect that phone call!_

She texted back as she finished making her coffee.

_Hoping to see him tonight...we'll see if we have time... ;-) Love you guys!_

Juliana sipped her coffee as she texted the picture to Tuck next, biting her lip in a ridiculous moment of giddiness.

_I do remember you requesting this last evening...sorry it was delayed...I had this wonderful night and couldn't think straight..._

His response popped up a minute later.

_Thank you, my lovely, I was hoping you hadn't forgotten. And for the record, I still can't think straight. :-) I'll call you as soon as I get out of here this afternoon. I can't wait to see you._

_Sounds good. Talk to you then...I miss you already._

She wanted to type something else, something more concrete. But she actually lost her nerve. Somehow after everything they had shared, saying that sort of thing was what made her nervous. She didn't want to be the first one to say it, and she felt like a fool.

Her stomach gurgled loudly and she put down her phone as she fished out a bowl and grabbed the Cheerios. It was sort of early to have the whole, "so what are we" conversation. But then again the constant sex that was fast becoming habit -that was definitely more like soul-shattering lovemaking- sort of bent the rules of behavior. Juliana smiled and sighed as she ate her cereal in peace.

Her phone rang and she answered it, not recognizing the number. "Hello?"

"Hello Leigh, it's so good to hear your voice again."

The sound of that pet name in a deep accented voice she hadn't heard in so long sent a frozen chill across her skin. It was Gregg. Her ex-fiancé was on the phone- and she still had the smell of her new lover all over her body. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably as she put her cereal bowl on the counter and tried to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke.

"Why are you calling me, and how did you get this phone number."

There was silence before he sighed into the phone. "CDC directory, I do still work for the same company that you do, babe. And I wanted to talk to you, I miss you. We were getting married, and at one point we only had eyes for each other. Do you not think about me from time to time?"

Juliana could actually see him clear as day in her mind.

Grigory Ivanovich Veloshin, was a tall handsome Russian she met in her human anatomy class her first year of medical school. He had just arrived in the country from Moscow on a full scholarship. He was 6' 6'' of blonde hair, clear blue eyes, refined aristocratic features and a lean, muscular body.

At first she'd found his intelligence and his confidence extremely attractive. He was driven and motivated unlike anyone she'd ever met. He had a very specific path that was reinforced by a generally unforgiving set of parents that demanded perfection. He challenged her intellectually, and she liked that.

He stood by her supported her career goals through medical school, and then suddenly, when she graduated and they became engaged, everything changed.

He'd never been particularly affectionate, but he was always a good provider, and they had planned a decent life together. But as the weeks and months passed he became demanding about her time, and extremely dissatisfied when she had to work late. Then, six months before they were supposed to be married she caught him having an affair.

And not just anywhere. She came home early, on their anniversary, to make him a nice dinner...and she found him in their bed having a threesome with her 23 year-old lab assistant Rebecca and some other young blonde that she'd never seen before.

He never even apologized.

Her face flushed with anger as she clenched her jaw. "Yes, I remember we were engaged to be married, I also remember you having an affair. So again, I have to ask you why you are calling me. Wasn't Becca and her little blonde friend what you were looking for? Because I know it wasn't me."

"That was in the past, Leigh. It was a mistake, and I want to say I am sorry." He answered as his voice lowered into a smooth tone. "I noticed that you were recently transferred to Los Angeles, I wanted to tell you that I will be in the city for very important business in a few weeks. I was hoping that you and I could...reconnect, both professionally and personally. It couldn't have been easy on you to be sent to archives, I know how hard you work and what doing research meant to you. Perhaps we could discuss what happened, maybe I could help you."

Juliana scoffed angrily, "You'd like us to _reconnect_?" She couldn't even think straight she was so furious, "You broke my fucking heart! I don't want anything to do with you ever again, and for your information, what is going on in my career is_ none_ of your business."

Tears filled her eyes and she could feel her hands shaking, she just wanted to get the hell off the phone. She didn't need to take this any longer. After taking a few deep breaths she spoke in a deadly serious tone.

"I am going to say this once Gregg. I am not interested in seeing you again. I do not want you to call this number again. Stay away from me personally _and_ professionally. I mean it."

She hung up the phone before he could answer and put it down on the counter with a slam as she started to cry. She fucking hated him for doing this to her. For still being able to make her feel hurt and worthless with a few words.

No. She was NOT going to do this. He was an asshole and she had Tuck. She had met someone who cared about her, someone who was worth her emotions. She would not spend one more moment wasting even a thought on him ever again.

And with that decision she turned on her heel and headed for the shower.

* * *

It was somewhere between shaving her legs for the second time, because she wanted to make sure that they were absolutely perfect and smooth, and washing out the deep conditioner in her hair that she made a decision on how to get in a much better mood.

Because damn it if that fucking asshole's patronizing voice wasn't still pissing her off.

She was going to do the same thing that she always did when she felt like crap, she was going to make a huge pot of sauce and pasta for a Sunday dinner. But this time, instead of eating it alone, she was going to cook it in Tuck's kitchen. She was going to get dressed up fancy and spend the entire afternoon making everything from scratch. Sauce, meatballs, pasta...everything.

And then she was going to make love to him all night, until she was completely exhausted Monday morning when she had to go to work.

She was going to spend her afternoon with a man that deserved her attention. Someone who was open with her, honest, and would never hurt her.

* * *

She picked out a simple but very sexy little black dress she bought the other day when she went shopping. It fell to her knee and had a modest scoop neck that didn't expose too much in the way of her cleavage, and 3/4 length sleeves. But somehow, when she pared it with the same Michael Kors black and white shoes that she'd worn on their date and did her hair up half and half, she felt like a goddess.

She slid on a lacy set of matching black bra and thong, knowing that he would hopefully appreciate that as much as the meal. Her makeup was simple and still just a little more than she would normally wear, and she scribbled down a grocery list and quickly texted Lauren for his address as she walked out her front door.

* * *

Juliana was walking through Whole Foods when Lauren's text came back through informing her that he lived at 616 Moulton Ave, in the "Brewery Lofts" complex. She absently Googled it as she was walking through the store gathering the various items, and she was shocked and really fascinated to see that it was actually an insanely popular artist colony that was built into the restored Pabst Blue Ribbon brewery.

There were art shows occasionally that were apparently very popular, and everything from the photos that she could see on Yelp looked really incredible. She didn't know that Tuck was into art, he said he collected things. Suddenly and idea of strolling through and looking at sculptures and paintings together sounded like an incredible addition to the afternoon.

Her phone beeped at her and she frowned instantly realizing that she had about five seconds left of battery life and in her freak out this morning, she'd forgotten to put her phone charger back into her bag.

Oh, well, it looked like she wasn't going to be chatting with anyone for a little while.

* * *

She spent a decent amount on getting all her ingredients, making sure that everything was perfect. After all there was only one chance for a first impression here, and she had a lot to live up to. So she spent the extra money on semolina flour and organic eggs for the pasta, and canned diced San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce, and a really, really good extra virgin olive oil.

The basil and parsley were fresh, garlic and onions were fragrant and the artisan bread was crusty on the outside and it was going to be chewy and soft on the inside. Lastly she swung by the meats section to get ground beef, pork and veal for the meatballs. Her Nonna always insisted on using all three meats, it was pricier, but the flavor couldn't be denied.

She also grabbed two bottles of the same Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine that they had enjoyed after their first date. The delicious flavor would surely bring back some wonderful memories.

On the way to check out she also grabbed some chocolate dipped pistachio and hazelnut biscotti and a really good coffee for dessert. Because there could be nothing better than lounging in bed sipping smooth Italian coffee with that man and licking chocolate off his fingers.

Except maybe licking it off other parts of his body.

Juliana shivered at that thought just as the cashier got her attention in the checkout line. Way to day dream about sex in the grocery store, behind a woman and her screaming children, Marchetti. She shook her head with a smile, well at least she was not longer thinking about the phone call this morning.

* * *

Thanks to the GPS in her car, she pulled up in front of Tuck's apartment a little before three in the afternoon. It would give her plenty of time to get the sauce going, and get dinner on the table for six, six-thirty. That was another secret of the family recipe, the sauce only simmered for two hours on the stove.

She parked in one of the guest spots and climbed out with her bags and the rolling pin she'd brought from home for the pasta. It was the sort of thing she wasn't sure that a single guy would own.

His car was parked in the space that was labeled for "616", so she knew he was home. Which was helpful since her phone had crapped out before she left the grocery store.

Juliana caught someone walking out of the building in front of her and she smiled graciously as the twenty-something held the door for her. She was even more pleased to notice the way his brown eyes ran over her figure with a barely concealed look of interest. At least she knew that she looked presentable.

It didn't take her too long to find his door. There only seemed to be three units on this side of the building, the high ceilings in the hallway giving a clue to the fact that the lofts were two story. And she was fascinated with the exposed HVAC piping and the antique brewing tools and equipment that were used for decoration, she wondered if that sort of industrial decor continued inside as well.

Her heels were muffled on the cork type laminate flooring, and as she stopped outside the reclaimed hardwood door with _L~616 _fastened on it in wrought iron letters she froze for a moment. She wanted to feel comfortable, but she really wished she had called him first.

What if he had a long day at work and wanted to spend his Sunday night alone relaxing. After all he had been entertaining her for the past couple of nights, and it was rather selfish to assume that he'd be interested in doing it again.

She shook her head, if he wasn't interested she would be able to tell, and if that was the case, she's simply excuse herself and head home. Juliana took a huge breath and knocked gently on the door.

It was silent for a minute, before it swung open part of the way to reveal Tuck in a fitted navy blue polo shirt and dark jeans, his hair was freshly gelled and damn it if she didn't feel herself melt just looking at him.

"Hey," He said quietly, smiling but she noticed that he didn't open the door any further.

She smiled and lifted the bags, "I thought, maybe, you'd like Sunday dinner. I wanted to make good on that offer to make you the best pasta, meatballs and sauce that you have ever eaten."

Her smile disappeared as his eyes fell to the ground, "That sounds, very lovely, very lovely..."

He paused and her heart literally fell into her stomach, as it began to twist and convulse it suddenly became alarmingly clear to her why he was behaving the way he was.

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, you have company."

Juliana tried to stop the tears that were building up in her eyes. She was so stupid. He never told her that they were exclusive, she'd just assumed it, because she was completely inept at this entire dating thing. He was so gorgeous and so damn perfect, how could she ever have even begun to think that she was enough to keep his attention.

And here she was dressed up like an idiot with groceries outside his door.

Tuck's grey eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he answered her, "I do, yes, but...not like that..."

She was one second away from spinning around on her heels and running as far away as she possibly could, when suddenly a small voice came from inside the apartment that made her freeze.

"Dad, who's there?"

* * *

**Oh, right, **_**that **_**kind of company.**

**Also, before I forget, totally using Alexander Skarsgard as inspiration for her ex-fiance Gregg. I know he's not Russian, but he's probably as physically different from Tom Hardy as you can get...and that conflict eventually is a very pleasing mental image. **


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I can't stop with these two, I honestly can't. So in honor of Sunday I give you a nice Sunday dinner...yum.**

**Hope you all enjoy! And as always please read and review! Thanks, love ya all! **

* * *

Tuck tried to keep the bounce out of his step as he sauntered into the office for a quick meet up with Boyles on Sunday morning. He could care less about the fact that he desperately needed a shower and the fact that he was still wearing the same clothes from the day before.

Because every once and a while when he brought his arm to his face, he could still smell her delicate baby powder scent and the lavender fabric softener that she must use on her sheets.

To keep from having a hard-on on display for all to see; he had to fight the urge to remember the way she felt in his arms last night, the way she cried out and moaned underneath him. She made him feel like a damn man again. Not that he needed a woman being loud all the time, in fact normally it was a bit of a turn off for him, but for some reason when Juliana did it, it was completely different.

Because she was so reserved normally, so put together, to be the one who crumbled all of that and made her lose her sense of control was absolutely incredible.

He'd almost lost it himself. He clearly remembered mumbling some rather inappropriate things under his breath in the middle of it all, thanks to the beers he'd had at the pub. And he was pretty sure the fact that her beautiful ass had been on display to him all night had not helped with the situation.

In fact it took him everything he had not to bend her over her kitchen table when he got back to her place, and just go animal. But there needed to be some sort of mutual trust before that happened, he just felt wrong otherwise. Like she would get the wrong impression about him, or something...bloody hell he _was_ safe and boring.

A smile slid across his face at the fact that they would be enjoying a weekend away very soon in Napa Valley. While sharing one room, now that would be a very, very lovely way to spend some quality time together. His chest suddenly tightened in a way that had nothing to do with the tightening below his waist.

He would be spending time with her around two people that were getting married, and he had a feeling, if he hadn't said it before then, he'd probably confess his blossoming love for her. Because, to be honest, after two days, he couldn't imagine not knowing this woman.

And he would find a way to tell her the truth...about everything.

So they could be together, free and clear, without any misconceptions or diversions, and as he thought of her big family, and their summer vacations, he knew he couldn't wait to be there with her, and Joe.

"Good morning, Sir," Boyles said as he met him in the hallway, handing him a takeaway coffee from Starbucks.

"Morning, Boylie," He answered with a nod, "Thanks for the coffee."

"Sorry for calling you so early," Boyles said as they walked into the multi-monitored surveillance and IT room. "But there is something I just got flagged on from the FBI that you have to see. Not sure if the boss is going to need a call in DC about this. I was going to call Foster, but I figured you wouldn't have any plans on Sunday morning being single and all."

Tuck frowned as the blonde man handed him a thick file, "Thanks for that, Boyles." He flipped it open to see rather disturbing images of a man who had been shot once in the head and found been found floating off the coast of Alaska, near Anchorage.

"I am guessing this is the missing man Collins had us looking for," Boyles suggested.

He sighed as he closed the file, "That's Classified above your level, my friend. Thanks for this, I am going to be at my desk for a little while if you need me."

* * *

Tuck combed through the intel that had been gathered in the day since they started to look for the missing Dr. Harkins. The coroner put the time of death as a few days ago judging by the state of the body, and that meant he'd probably been floating in the bay since not long after he'd been taken from the post office parking lot, possibly even before his office was broken into.

That meant that someone else had the credentials to get into the CDC office and the knowledge to break into his office and steal critical information without being discovered.

He took a deep breath as he read through the file, there was almost nothing at all that was available about anything that Harkins had been overseeing at his CDC location. Apparently whoever it was at USAMRIID that wanted the information to stay hidden had gone through the right channels. There wasn't exactly a lot of people that could tie the CIA up in red tape.

Maybe he could get Juliana to tell him something, anything about what went on there. It really was not an optimal route for human intelligence, but it was the most direct. And it wasn't like that was the reason he was talking to her, he frowned at the way he so easily heard FDR's reasoning in his head.

Tuck took a sip of his cooling coffee as his phone beeped. He looked down to see a message from Juliana and the picture he'd taken of the two of them the previous night.

He smiled at her unbelievable sweetness, and he sent her a message back. He already wanted to get out of here and figure out something to do this evening...other than the obvious of course.

God help him, he _did_ sound like Franklin.

* * *

It was a few hours later, when he was bleary eyed from staring at his computer screen when his phone suddenly rang. He looked down to notice that it was a call from his ex-wife Katie. He answered on the third ring, "Hello?"

"Hey Dad!"

The sound of his son's face put a smile on his face, "Hey there Spudley, how's it goin'?"

"Pretty good, um, Mom and me are on the way home from San Francisco, and she says I can stay with you for tonight." Joe said excitedly. "She says you can come get me in two hours when we are going to be home."

"Yeah?"

"So can I, Dad?" He asked.

Tuck had to laugh at his eagerness. There was a time in their relationship, before his son knew what he really did for a living, that they were standing on two sides of the Grand Canyon from one another. But now, Joe looked up to him. He understood why he traveled so much, and even why he had to keep his hand to hand combat skills under wraps. He looked up to him as a man he wanted to be some day, and that was something that gave him an infinite sense of pride.

"Absolutely! You think I'd miss a chance to hang with my favorite homie?"

"Yes, alright!" He yelled into the receiver, "I'll see you soon, Dad! Can we do spaghetti for dinner?"

"Of course, son. I'll see you then."

"Okay!"

He sat back in his chair and chuckled to himself. So it was going to be a night of relaxing at home with his little man. Which pleased him infinitely. But at the same time it gave him pause, he wasn't sure it was the right time for Juliana to meet him. Not that she wasn't the type of woman he wanted to introduce to his son, because he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather. But more for her comfort. Meeting his child was a very permanent, very big step, and they hadn't really discussed it, and he didn't want to pressure her into it.

But he'd promised to see her later today. Tuck dialed her number and waited patiently as it went to voice mail.

"Hello, love, it's Tuck. I was hoping to speak to you. I am unexpectedly going to have my son for the night, so I am going to have to take a rain check on our evening plans. But I do promise to make it up to you. Please give me a call when you get this. I miss you, my lovely. Good-bye."

* * *

_"Dad, who's there?"_

Juliana froze and her mouth fell open, he did have company, he had his son. This was so terribly awkward, she didn't want to press him into something like this so soon. He should introduce his child to her when he felt comfortable doing it.

"I am so sorry, Tuck." She finally whispered. "I'll go, please call me later."

She was just about to leave when the door suddenly opened all the way to reveal an adorable little boy with longish light brown hair and sharp hazel green eyes. His movement seemed to take his father by surprise and he stumbled as the door opened up.

"Dad, who's this?"

Tuck cleared his throat, "Um, yes, Joe, this is my new friend Juliana."

The boy looked up at him with a quizzical, and almost skeptical expression before he looked back at her, "Does she work with you?"

"Ah," Tuck's ears dusted with red. "No, she does not work with me in the travel business, she's a personal friend."

It was Juliana's turn to flush red at his words, she finally tore her eyes away from Tuck's gentle grey ones and looked down at his son. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." He shrugged and turned around.

Tuck opened the door all the way and invited her into his place. Juliana juggled her bags that were growing heavier by the moment, as she walked in. It was really impressive, and she was pleased to see that the industrial sort of decor continued inside as well.

There was a ton of open square footage with old hardwood floors, and lots of exposed metal grating, and very dark wood accents. Her eyes lit on a mat and what looked to be a sparring area in the corner, and along the wall she was shocked to notice a couple of vintage motorcycles parked there.

There was a really comfortable looking leather sectional sofa in the living room area with shelves covered in masculine looking artwork, and a huge DVD and video game library that looked like it went very well with the large flat screen TV. She could see two doors going off from there, which she assumed to be possibly a bathroom and maybe a guest room, and a staircase that led up to an open loft where she knew his bedroom had to be.

Tuck gently took her bags and carried them over to a large island breakfast bar with a black granite counter top. She followed him and looked behind it into the kitchen space. It was filled with a gorgeous sub-zero stainless steel refrigerator and a five burner Viking range with a professional style hood and an over sized oven.

"Your place is amazing," She said quietly as she stood next to her bags suddenly feeling very over dressed and more than a little foolish.

"Thank you," He answered, staring at her and taking in her appearance with a bit of hunger in his eyes.

Joe bounded to the breakfast bar and took a seat on a tall stool next to a book and some paper that looked suspiciously like a third grader's homework.

"So why did you bring all this stuff?"

She smiled, this was one thing that she was actually surprisingly comfortable with. After having six siblings with eight nieces and nephews between them, she knew kids.

"I was actually going to make your Dad dinner. He let me know that pasta and meatballs were a favorite around here, so I figured I'd make some from scratch."

"Oh," He said as he tilted his head, "Are you good at it?"

"I like to think so, I've been making it with my Nonna since I was your age. But, how about this, I'll start cooking, and if you think it doesn't smell good, I'll take you two out to dinner and pick up the check."

He looked over at Tuck and nodded, "That sounds good I have to finish my homework anyways."

"Deal." Juliana answered as she walked behind the counter. She reached into her bag to pull out her rolling pin and her apron that she'd brought from home. She looked over at Tuck with a smile, "Think you can help show me around the kitchen?"

"Sure." He answered in that same quiet voice.

* * *

A little while later, the appropriate stainless steel pots were on the stove, meatballs were cooking in the oven, and both her and Tuck had a full glass of wine. Juliana expertly chopped the onions and mashed and diced the garlic for the sauce while both the Hansen men looked on in awe.

She looked over at the science book that Joe was answering work book questions for, noticing that they were studying germs. "So what are you reading about?" She asked casually.

"Just science stuff. I like it."

"Me too," She replied with a smile.

He scrunched up his face and stared at his father and then back at her, "Really?"

"Juliana is a doctor," Tuck explained to his son.

"Do you do operations and stuff?" Joe asked.

"No, I'm not that kind of doctor," She said as she turned around with the cutting board to dump the onions and the garlic into the pot so it could begin to simmer with the olive oil. "I'm a virologist, I study viruses, and hopefully how to cure them someday."

"Like the polo guy?"

Juliana paused for a second and furrowed her brow, Tuck looked equally puzzled until it finally sunk in. "Oh, _polio_, Dr. Jonas Salk, exactly."

"That's cool. I didn't know girls liked that stuff."

"Well I'm a weird girl, I liked math and science and sports in school." She laughed as she opened up the cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, dumping them into the pot as she stirred it with the simmered garlic and onions.

"Oh," His eyebrows raised, "Well Dad likes sports, he played soccer in school when he lived in England."

"He told me that." She answered as she winked at Tuck.

"I don't play soccer, I think I might want to start though. I do karate."

"Karate sounds really neat," Juliana said as she sipped her wine. "Probably learn all sorts of cool stuff."

"Yeah, you do." He paused for a second just as she turned her back to add the chopped herbs, salt and pepper to the sauce. "So, are you and my Dad friends like Doug and my Mom are friends? Like boyfriend/girlfriend?"

She froze as her eyes went wide, and her face flushed bright red. Tuck's ears flushed a very similar color and he cleared his throat to talk, "Uh, well, son, that is a very good question."

"Well are you?"

He looked up at her, his grey eyes flashing an earnest stare before he scratched the back of his neck for a moment, "I would like very much to be, friends, like that with her."

Juliana smiled and nodded reflexively, as if answering his question. Leave it up to an eight-year-old to bring up the conversation about what they were doing that they were both too embarrassed to have.

Joe on the other hand, stared back and forth at them and shook his head, "Well she dressed up pretty for you and is making you dinner, Dad. Girlfriends do that for their boyfriends. Well actually, you should take her out to a fancy dinner and get her flowers and stuff."

Tuck chuckled and looked at his son, "And when did you become such a Casanova, Spudley? You got your eye on a pretty girl at school, then?"

"Dad, eww, no. That's gross."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" He insisted.

Juliana watched the two of them with a fondness while she pulled the browned meatballs out of the oven to simmer them in the sauce. She no sooner put the pan on the stovetop than the conversation between the two of them completely died off and they stared with wide eyes, practically drooling.

"Should I be making dinner reservations?" She asked Joe with a wink.

The little boy shook his head, "That smells awesome."

* * *

Juliana set the timer on the stove for an hour and gathered up the dishes into the sink, so she could clean while she waited.

Tuck instantly jumped from his chair and met her at the beautiful farmer's sink. "You don't have to do the dishes, love. You are making the meal."

"It's nothing," She said as she filled the sink up with warm soapy water, "But if you'd like to help, by all means."

They stood shoulder to shoulder at the sink, and he cast a quick look back to see Joe working hard before he leaned his mouth to her ear and whispered. "You look incredible, I can't stop staring."

"Thank you, I'm sorry for just coming over, I would have called, but my phone died. I don't want you to feel like you have to introduce me to him."

He shook his head, "There's no one I would have rather introduced to him, and my God, if that tastes even a third as good as it smells, I have a feeling you will have a new fan by the end of the day."

"Is that right?" She said with a smirk.

Tuck elbowed her gently as he leaned down to kiss her neck before smiling against her skin, "As if you should be so shocked that a Hansen man is unable to stop himself from falling under your spell."

She blushed as she looked over at him, his full lips taunting her. "It would only be because I find you Hansen men to be completely irresistible."

"Hey, Juliana?"

Joe's voice came from behind them and they both turned to look at him, putting space between their bodies.

"What's up?"

"I have to do a project on a famous scientist for class, we have to write a report about them and do a presentation in front of the teacher. Do you have anyone cool that you know?"

She smiled, "There are a ton of cool scientists, we're all cool."

Joe rolled his eyes, "Come on! Who's your favorite?"

"My favorite," She answered as she dried her hands. "Hmm, well I would have to say that would be Louis Pasteur. He's the guy that inspired me to study what I do."

"What did he do?" He asked with an interested stare.

"What didn't he do," Juliana answered. "He was the first person to prove the way that bacteria grows, and that it is actually alive, way back in 1862. He also discovered that growing bacteria is what is responsible for spoiling food. That is why..." She turned around and reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, showing the bottle to Joe. "We have that."

"How to you say that?" He asked.

"_Pasteurized_, like his name. We heat up most of the things that we eat and drink today to a high temperature so we kill of most of the bacteria that could be growing in there to make sure that we don't get sick, and so food lasts longer." Juliana explained as she put the milk back.

"That is kinda cool."

"He did more stuff," She said as she sipped her wine and leaned on the counter. "He was one of the pioneers in vaccination research, too. He was the first to understand that it was bacteria that made us sick, just like bacteria spoiled food. He used weakened bacteria to make the first vaccines by infecting animals and letting them develop antibodies."

Joe quirked his brow, "I don't get it. I thought you got shots to get better."

"Well you do," Juliana answered. "When you get a vaccination, it's to prevent getting sick. Like when you were a little baby you got them for a whole bunch of diseases, like measles, mumps and chicken pox. What happens is the vaccine has a little bit of the virus in it, not enough to get you sick, but enough that your body makes these special things called antibodies to kill that disease. Then what happens is those antibodies stay with you forever, and one day when you get older and the bacteria tries to get into your system again, your body already has the tools to fight it. And you don't get sick."

"Wow," He said, "Did you know that, Dad?"

Tuck smiled, "I knew some of that."

"He sounds pretty cool," Joe agreed. "I don't think anyone else will do a report on him. Thanks, Juliana." He paused for a second, "Will you, um, help me before I hand it in, you sound really smart and I want to get it right."

She smiled thoughtfully at the little boy, not missing the way his father was looking at her. "Thanks, and of course, if you'd like me to, I'll help you out."

The timer on the stove beeped behind her and she turned to flip it back on for another hour. "Now, how about you wash your hands and I'll show you and your Dad how to make pasta."

"Cool!"

* * *

The three of them stood behind piles of flour with and indent of eggs floating inside, and Juliana explained how to slowly combine ever increasing swipes with a fork, and then with floured fingers, until it rolled into a ball. She helped Joe get the right kneading motion and then rolled her eyes when his father asked for the same assistance.

Lastly she pulled out her rolling pin, that was really nothing more than a glorified length of broomstick so she could roll the balls out completely flat. With her practiced hands it didn't take very long to have it thin enough to cut into thin strips that would be the equivalent of linguine sized pasta.

She neatly folded the finished pasta and let it rest as they all crowded at the sink to wash their hands. Tuck took the opportunity to stand behind her and nuzzle her neck for the briefest moment, his nose was buried into the soft crook behind her ear, and he couldn't help but breathe her in.

Her hands tangled with his under the warm stream of water, and she was amazed how something as simple as washing their hands together could become so insanely arousing. She mused as the comforting smell of their meal filled the loft, thank God that his son was there, there was no way they would have been able to be alone with each other all afternoon and manage to get all that cooking done.

He reluctantly gave her a small kiss on her neck before he stepped away to dry his hands and return to his stool beside his son who was finally packing up his schoolwork.

* * *

Juliana busied herself for the last half-hour, putting the water on to boil the pasta and cutting the bread. Tuck set the island where they were with plates, silverware and napkins.

But at long last it was time for her to throw the fresh noodles in for a couple minutes, drain them and serve out her meal. The three of them each piled a plate high with pasta, sauce and meatballs, and for the first time in a very, very long time she was actually nervous to see someone eat something that was so common to her.

She really needn't have worried. Both of them ate everything on their plate in record time, and had seconds. Juliana wiped her mouth and stared over at Joe who was expertly twirling his pasta on his fork.

"So, Joe, what do you think?"

"It's like the greatest thing I've ever had, way better than the restaurant." He answered with the honesty only a kid was capable of. "Can you come cook this again for my Dad and me?

She smiled gently and looked at Tuck who was trying to keep out of the conversation as he got up and filled his plate again. "I'd really like that."

* * *

The meal finished, Joe insisted that Juliana stay and watch a couple of movies with him and Tuck. She was unable to refuse, and quite frankly she was as much of a fan of _'Up' _and _'Despicable Me' _as any sane adult would admit to being- alright, maybe more so. Thanks to her nieces and nephews she owned her own copy of each of them.

Joe grabbed an overstuffed bean bag chair from the corner of the room and plopped down on the floor directly in front of where Tuck sat on the sofa, and motioned for Juliana to sit next to him. She was conservative at first, keeping a little distance between them, but he wouldn't have it. His strong arm came down around her and held her close.

There were laughs and chatter for the first movie, but by the time the second one started the dinner had started to get the better of all of them. Joe was passed out cold on his bean bag chair, and Juliana reached down to slide off her shoes as Tuck kicked off his sneakers so he could lay back and she could lay beside him.

He tugged a warm fleece blanket off the back of the couch and covered the both of them. She snuggled onto his shoulder, and was just starting to drift off when she felt his fingers gently stroking down her back to trail across her backside. She shivered as she felt him trace the lacy outline of her thong before he began to slowly pull up her dress.

Juliana looked up at him in the low light, and his stare was focused on her face, "Tuck..." Her voice was a desperate whisper.

"Shhh, love," He mumbled as he rolled over just enough to pin her to the back of the couch and to create a barrier between them.

She gasped as she felt his hand come up between her legs, softly stroking her through the lace fabric, his breath catching at the warm moisture he found there.

"You look so beautiful," He whispered as his mouth eagerly claimed hers in a deep kiss, his tongue snaking into her mouth to roll around hers with a heady twisting massage. He pulled away a moment later and hovered over her lips with a warm nuzzle. "Thank you so much for everything tonight, it was such a lovely surprise." His voice was husky and as her eyes slowly blinked open to stare at him, she couldn't believe everything that she saw written all over his face.

Her entire body shivered and her heart began to beat wildly in her chest, "I...I wanted to see you." She swallowed hard, and as the fingers between her leg stroked her center with a caress, she couldn't stop the words from falling from her lips, "I'm going to miss being in your arms tonight."

"I'm going to miss holding you," His words were low and she bit her lips as his finger slid beneath the elastic of her panties to stroke her wet skin, concentrating on her already swollen and humming little pearl. "Being in your bed is like nothing I've ever felt, love. If I could, I'd never leave."

His words set her blood on fire, and under the expert attentions of his thick fingers, Juliana felt her body roll into a weak wave minutes later. Her insides throbbed with a gentle clench as her climax took her by surprise. Her breath puffed in a gasp as she took his mouth again to keep any moans from spilling out of her lips.

It took her a minute to regain her control, and Tuck slowly pulled down her skirt as he slid his arms around her body to pull her into his arms tightly.

"Stay with me for a while longer, yeah?" He asked as they both snuggled close. "I'll set my alarm in case we drift off, I just am not ready to let you get away just yet. You are far too warm and soft."

She smiled as their legs twined together, "Well, I wouldn't want you to catch cold, Tuck. So maybe I'll stay just a little while longer."

They shared quiet, lazy kisses for a few minutes before Juliana rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the tired feeling born of pure and utter contentment let her drift off for just a little sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Not even nasty freezing cold weather can keep me from writing this ; )**

**Happy 2014 everyone!**

**Please read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

Juliana sat behind her desk Monday morning with an infinitely better outlook than she had Friday afternoon when she left work. She sighed pleasantly as she sipped her caramel latte and stared at the mountain of new proposals that had come across her desk in the past couple of days. She was determined to get them taken care of before the end of the day today.

Her eyes absently landed on the brown paper wrapped package from her old boss that sat neglected in her "in" basket. She reached over out of pure curiosity and opened it up; sliding her letter opened under one end. When she pulled off the wrapping paper, she was left in awe.

It was a first edition copy of Louis Pasteur's, "_Les Microbes organisés, leur rôle dans la Fermentation, la Putréfaction et la Contagion", _his definitive paper written in 1878 about bacteria and its role in fermentation, food spoilage and disease. The beautiful, pristine book had sat on his bookshelf in his office, and the first time she'd seen it, she'd shared her love of the scientist and it was how her and Dr. Harkins had started their professional working relationship.

She frowned as she turned over the old leather. It had been one of his most prized possessions, why had he sent it to her? A thought crossed her mind that it seemed strangely like an apology of some sort. Like he knew that he had done her wrong and this was the only way he could do right by it.

But there was a bigger part of her that appreciated the sentiment. Maybe he remembered their late evening conversations, when she was trapped in the lab well past midnight and he was always keeping the same foolish schedule. There had been so many interesting talks that she genuinely enjoyed, and to be quite honest, she missed. There weren't exactly that many people on the planet that were able to hold an articulate and in depth discussion about paleovirology and the endogenous viral elements found in the modern African fruit bat.

She flipped through the soft pages, written in French, until she came to the back page of the book. It was there she found a quote of Pasteur's written in the immaculate penmanship of her former colleague.

_And, whatever your career may be, do not let yourselves become tainted by a deprecating and barren skepticism, do not let yourselves be discouraged by the sadness of certain hours which pass over nations. Live in the serene peace of laboratories and libraries. Say to yourselves first: 'What have I done for my instruction?' And, as you gradually advance, 'What have I done for my country?' until the time comes when you may have the immense happiness of thinking that you have contributed in some way to the progress and to the good of humanity. But, whether our efforts are or not favored by life, let us be able to say, when we come near the great end, ' I have done what I could.'_

Juliana stared at the words for a long time, and a strange feeling tingled in her gut that made her wonder why he had said something like that. It sounded more ominous that hopeful. She smiled despite the situation when she suddenly thought of Tuck's son Joe and the report that he was going to do.

It would be so wonderful to maybe let him borrow it to show his class. Although trusting something like this to a seven-year-old was going to require a serious conversation. She could already see his eager little face with big hazel eyes, probably promising her that nothing at all would happen to it. He was so damn cute, with an honesty that was all Tuck.

_Tuck_. Even saying his name in her head was enough to send a wave of pleasant shivers across her skin.

She remembered with very clear detail the previous night, when they'd both woken up from their little nap a little before ten. He'd groggily picked up his comatose son and carried him upstairs to his bedroom and reappeared fifteen minutes later, rubbing his eyes and apologizing for completely nodding off.

There was certainly nothing to be sorry for, and she assured of this him several times as she put her shoes back on. She packed up a few things that she had brought from home and he had the leftover food, with the promise that he would take it for lunch tomorrow.

They stood at his door for a long moment, just staring at one another, before he reached out with his hand to cup her face and bring it to his for one of the slow, deep kisses that she was becoming hopelessly addicted to. It stayed calm for a few minutes, each of them savoring the taste of one another, before it began to heat up. Like a pot of water simmering to a boil, his mouth became more and more greedy, and he finally backed her to the wall, as a low groan fell from his lips.

His mouth was hot against her ear as he whispered in a desperate voice that made her gasp. "I can't bear the thought that I won't have you tonight."

She tried to reply, but just as she was able to formulate a thought, he took her hand with a swift but still gentle move and placed it against the front of his jeans and the hardness that strained beneath there, almost reaching for her. It was bold, a side of him she hadn't seen before and the prospect that he was willing to surrender to his feelings like that charged her to another level of arousal.

"Promise me we can see one another tomorrow."

Her mouth answered driven by feeling alone, her rational mind was long gone. "Yes, I promise."

"Think of me, tonight, please," He whispered, kissing her neck. "I'll be thinking only of you."

"Oh, God, I will," She answered eagerly. "Please just kiss me again."

It took her a strength and control that she didn't know she had to pull herself away from him. They were both panting and red faced with need when they finally parted and she walked out to her car on trembling legs.

She'd thought of him alright. She lasted about ten minutes in bed lying down between her cool sheets before her panties and pajama pants were discarded off the side of the bed and her hands were between her thighs, rubbing her already soaked and swollen little pearl furiously. She'd brought herself there at least three times, concentrating on memories of Tuck. The way he kissed her, the way his breath sounded in her ear as he was drowning in pleasure, and finally what he felt like buried deep into her. It just seemed like with every release her body was still not satisfied. Her heart was racing, and she breathed deeply, knowing that she wouldn't ease that ache no matter what she used tonight.

Because it wasn't him.

It was a strange, terrifying and wonderful realization at the same time. Because it wasn't just lust. If it was, release would be all she wanted. But as she lay in her bed, what her body craved most was just his presence. The way that he wrapped his arms around her and held her close all night long was the most wonderful thing that she had felt in her entire life. It was a feeling of safety and security that she'd never felt with someone that wasn't family.

Wasn't that what love felt like? What she had never felt with another man before him. Yes, it was that monumental and simple. She was in love with him.

Juliana smiled at the memory as she stared at her desk. She put her book down and picked up her phone, just needing to hear something from him, no matter how small, to get through the day. She typed out a small message, hoping it would give him something to smile at, and giving him an excellent idea for the evening.

_Good morning, don't know about you, but I didn't sleep well at ALL...tossed and turned in that big bed all alone...I'm thinking when I get home, I am going to put on my pajamas and relax in front of the television...breakfast for dinner would be lovely, don't you think?_

It was just a moment later when her phone beeped.

_It pains me to hear that, love. I had similar issues, in fact I woke up to a rather embarrassing scene, cuddling my pillow a bit more intimately than I would like to admit. Breakfast for dinner sounds heavenly, and I have just the recipe. And it's on me tonight...can I get you to bring your pajama clad self to my place?_

She shivered at the thought of being with him in his bed.

_I suppose...I can't exactly pass up such a generous offer..._

_Any chance your pajamas consist of satin and lace?_

_Perhaps Mr. Hansen, but a lady never tells._

_My place at seven, my lovely, bring your sleepover bag._

_See you then._

* * *

Tuck sat behind his desk with a smile on his face, strategically hunched over to disguise the burgeoning return of an incredible erection that he'd been dealing with since mid-day yesterday. The past night had been agony. With his son sleeping on a futon at the foot of his large bedroom loft space, it unfortunately gave him very little privacy. And there was just something so morally inappropriate about taking care of himself even in the shower when Joe was in the house, so he'd just neatly packed his lust away and tried to ignore it as much as possible.

Which immediately went to hell the moment Juliana texted him and suggested a little pajama party. Suddenly all he could see was the two of them lounging in his bed, her in some sort of very tasteful lace, satin and him wearing nothing but a smile. And just like that his arousal was back and painfully evident.

"Do I even want to ask you what you are doing over there?" FDR's voice floated across their desks, "Or should I just toss you some lotion and Kleenex and give you some time in the bathroom?"

He laughed, not even bothering to care about his friend's banter. "Had a lovely weekend with a beautiful woman, Franklin, and planning on a lovely night with her at my place. That is all."

"Ah, don't want to waste a drop, I got ya." FDR said with a smirk. "Look at you Captain Horny-pants, I'm kinda proud of this new pervert you're becoming."

Tuck sat back in his chair and stared at his friend, "It's more than that mate, she met my son yesterday. And I think he's as smitten with her as I am. He talked about her the whole way to school this morning."

He smiled at the memory. Joe had talked non-stop about his report, and the smart woman that was going to help him get the best grade in the class. He'd even made sure to ask Tuck to tell her "hello" for him and to remind him that he needed to make sure that he got her some flowers and chocolates. And that he really hoped to see her next Thursday night.

FDR's brow rose in genuine shock, "That's a bit soon isn't it? You are always so protective of who meets Joe."

"I am," He admitted. "It was actually all a happy accident. I picked him up yesterday last minute, completely unexpected, and she wanted to make me dinner as a surprise, so she showed up at my door and I couldn't turn her away. She was so damn lovely with him, you had to see it."

"Damn. What did she make?"

"The most insanely delicious Italian food that I have ever eaten in my life, I brought us some for lunch. You have to try it." Tuck answered. He covered his face with his hands as he sighed with a groan, "Ah man, I am so completely lost for her. Honestly."

FDR smiled, "Thanks for lunch, dude, that's awesome."

"That was what you got out of that statement?" Tuck said with a chuckle. "Can you tell me why I bother to have any sort of man to man chat with you about anything?"

"Well, that was what stood out. That and the face that you are careening off the cliff of common sense about to do a face plant on the concrete because of a woman."

"Oh, I've hit the pavement some time ago," Tuck mumbled. And he had, truly, he was some sort of molten puddle of brainless sludge, with only the most primitive thoughts and feelings. Oh, right, with a 24/7 hard-on. How could he ever forget that.

"Wow," FDR sighed.

"And I'm lying to her, mate. I've completely fallen in love with her and I'm lying to her." His voice was suddenly full of self-loathing. There was so much that was complicating this situation, and it was growing more and more complicated by the moment. He just wanted this goddamn case done and in the books.

"Well, that is something you have to deal with on your own," FDR said. "You blow your cover with her and it doesn't work, you know the shit-storm that stirs up. A NOC's worst enemy is his...well you get the point."

Tuck stared at him and shook his head. It was actually an amusing play on their title as 'Non-Official Cover' agents. Their work was the kind that the old spy books and _Mission Impossible_ movies were made of. The type of agents that were on assignment without the protection of the US government looking out for them. It was the type of job that when it went wrong, you ended up tortured and dead and as the CIA and the government disavowed all knowledge of you, they put a pretty black star up on a wall in Langley, Virginia as a memorial and left your body where it fell. It was a lonely life, and not one that many people would sign up to have their spouse or loved one in.

"Do you think that sort of thing up on the fly, or do you save gems like that? I'm honestly curious."

"That's an easy one, come on, it _rhymes_."

Tuck groaned and leaned back in his chair, "Almost makes me wish our boyo Henrich was still around, he managed to somehow add that little bit of distraction that only a near death experience can bring. After that saying, 'I'm not really a travel agent' was easily explained and demonstrated."

FDR laughed, "Yeah, you have a point there." He leaned back in his chair and stared at his watch. "It's like noon, man, let's go take lunch, now I'm starving. I want some of this woman's cooking that has you perving over there."

Tuck smiled, "Don't have to ask me twice."

He enthusiastically clapped his hands and jumped out of his desk, "Fantastic. Oh, and since you brought lunch _and_ we are gonna have extra time because the all seeing all knowing eye of doom is gone for one more day, I say we take a little field trip to Agent Provocateur to get some filthy knickers for your lady friend." His voice slid into that mocking breathless tone he used purposely to get on his nerves. "I bet she's ready for a magical evening of candles and dirty, _naughty_ fun. I even promise not to pull the fire alarm this time."

Tuck frowned as he slid on his suit coat, irritated at the memory of his flooded apartment, and the mortifying thought of visiting a store like that with a man like Franklin. "Absolutely not, I am not going there with you."

"You wanna go classier? We can hit La Perla?"

"No."

FDR made a face, and wagging his eyebrows. "I don't really see her as the Fredricks of Hollywood type, but if you insist, crotchless panties it is."

"You are fast talking yourself out of your meal, Franklin. I am sure Boylie will love it."

"Forget I said anything," He raised his hands. "Just saying you should be spontaneous is all."

Tuck walked off towards the cafeteria with his friend in tow, hating that the idea seemed to be more and more appealing as the time passed.

* * *

Juliana was somewhere in the midst of a halfway decent dissertation on a possible theory of the genetic history of the Dengue Virus, when her work phone rang. She looked down at the caller ID to see that it was the head archivist, Dr. Neil Grossman who was calling her. She'd met the abrupt and extremely unfriendly man the first day on the job, and hadn't spoken to him since. The pot bellied 65 year-old had a nest of wild white hair that seemed to come out of his ears as much as it did from the top of his head. She shook her head at the memory and answered the phone.

"Archives, this is Dr. Marchetti, how may I help you?"

"Juliana, it's Dr. Grossman," His harsh voice felt like it was grating through the receiver.

"What can I do for you Dr. Grossman?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just received a call from Atlanta that Samuel Harkins passed away."

His tone seemed to soften the smallest bit, and Juliana appreciated it. Her sigh of sadness was genuine, and at the same time she was strangely concerned. Harkins was a middle aged man in perfect health, he wasn't the sort that should have passed from natural causes.

"Do you know what happened?"

"They didn't give details."

"Oh," She said at his succinct reply. "Well, thank you for calling me."

"You are welcome. Good afternoon."

He hung up the phone abruptly and she was left looking at the receiver. What a strange man. She suddenly got a hideous vision of herself at that age if she was trapped at this job for the next thirty-five years. It had a scary image of elastic waist khaki pants and a cable knit sweater vest over a turtleneck dancing behind her eyes. Yikes, she might very well look the same way if she kept it up.

Juliana picked up the book that Harkins had sent her, reading his inscription again. It seemed so strangely prophetic, like he knew he was going to die. That same feeling of ominous dread tickled her gut again, and she couldn't help but chew her lip nervously. There was just something _wrong_, and she knew that Dr. Harkins' death was suspect.

She tapped her finger against her desk, and after a moment, she turned to her computer and tried to Google his name to see if she could find anything. It didn't take long. The first link, above the hundred that were related to his published works, was an obituary in the Anchorage Daily News. She clicked on it and perused through the accolades and family information to discover that he was, "stricken at his home and suddenly passed away".

Juliana shook her head, she had no idea how to take that statement at all. But there was nothing else. The funeral arrangements were listed as being "private" with a wish that flowers and donations were not wanted.

She slumped back in her chair with a frown, it was really too bad.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed with the same hum-drum silence that she was getting used to. The only positive was the fact that she managed to actually accomplish her small goal of clearing off her desk. That was until the mail cart went around again and dumped a fresh pile on the corner. It was truly a Sisyphean task. No matter how many she went through, there was hundreds more just waiting to be examined.

Ugh, it was definitely why her current Director resembled Ebenezer Scrooge. There was no way she was going to do this for the rest of her life. Maybe Tuck was in the market for a partner in his little travel business.

Now that idea could have some definite perks. She shook her head as her thoughts instantly sounded like they were being hijacked by Trish, no need to have that on the mind while she was trying to drive through rush hour traffic in downtown LA. Her eyes darted to the clock, it was five, time to call it a night.

Juliana grabbed her bag and her keys, lastly reaching over to grab the book from Dr. Harkins before she logged off her computer and walked out the door. After all she had to shower and prepare for a dinner of breakfast in bed.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Here's a little Sunday afternoon present for you...well at least it is here ; )**

**Thanks for all the love that this story is getting...it means a lot. **

**Please, please read and review! **

* * *

Downtown traffic seemed particularly nasty, and when Juliana finally pulled into the driveway of her small rental she was glad it was over. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with the insane traffic of Atlanta and New York City before, but LA was altogether something special. She wasn't sure if it was just the west coast attitude or what, but damn, no one could drive.

She walked up to her front door with her keys in hand and sighed as she slid them into the deadbolt. The lock made a strange clicking noise and was tough to turn as she managed the key. She frowned for a moment as she stood there with the door open, turning the lock a couple of times to watch as the bolt moved far more sluggishly than it should.

She sighed as she pushed in and settled for simply locking the knob behind her- time to call the landlord.

Juliana spent far longer than she wanted to in the shower attending to the task of attaining perfectly soft and touchable skin. It was a mundane task, but a rather necessary one to deal with.

She frowned as she stared at the pink polish on her toes that was obviously not professionally applied. She could really use a pedicure, and maybe a little exfoliation. She blushed at the thought that a bikini wax wouldn't exactly kill her either. It was certainly better than shaving.

Maybe Lauren would be up for one. After all, her little weekend getaway was fast approaching, it would be a nice gift to make sure that the bride to be felt pretty for her excursion.

After conditioning her long hair and rinsing it completely, she dried off and wrapped a towel around her hair as she walked into her bedroom without a stitch of clothing on. Now her mind was racing. She had very nice fleece yoga pants, and a light blue shirt that was very similar to the pink one that she wore the other day. It looked nice enough to walk into his door in. But there was something else that she was hoping to slip into for bed.

She dug through the top drawer of her bureau to fish out a cream colored nightie that was really simple, just a slip that fell a few inches below her butt with very thin spaghetti straps and delicate lace edges around the bust and along the bottom. It wasn't really all _that_ sexy, but it was the only real lingerie that she owned. She hoped he'd like it.

She gently folded it, and placed it on her bed as she grabbed a large purple bag from her closet to put some work clothes in for tomorrow. She packed up everything in a few minutes, before she walked into the bathroom and finished drying her hair, putting on just a little eyeliner and mascara to make herself natural but still presentable. She packed up her toiletries and her makeup bag, tossing them into the tote and carrying it to the kitchen.

As she locked the door behind her she dialed her landlord to leave a message about the broken deadbolt lock and climbed into her car. Her stomach growled hungrily as she drove off, breakfast never sounded so amazing.

* * *

She walked down the hallway near his loft and as she knocked on his door, she caught the most incredible smell of bacon, sweet nutmeg and cinnamon. Juliana tried not to drool as she knocked softly on his door.

Of course salivating at the food was the least of her problems when the door opened a moment later to reveal Tuck in a black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of blue plaid sleep pants that looked incredibly soft and definitely hugged and draped off everything _way_ too perfectly.

He smiled at her as he casually stepped back and let her in. "Good evening, beautiful." She actually still blushed at his compliment as he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. "May I take your things?"

"Sure." She handed over her night bag, and he turned to walk up the loft stairs to his bedroom. Her eyes bugged out as she stared at his ass- those pants really did hug everything _perfectly_.

Tuck looked over his shoulder with a sly smile, "If you'd like to follow I can give you the tour."

Juliana nodded in a daze as she followed him up the stairs and into his room. The second floor loft was incredibly spacious, steel piping serving as a railing that cordoned it off, and the dark woods and industrial look continued up here as well. There was a futon bed neatly folded with pillows off to her left, forming a sitting area, that she remembered Joe slept on, and a gorgeous wall mounted flat screen TV that could be seen from the king sized bed that dominated the area.

The head board was made of a dark, almost black wood and it matched the standing chest of drawers in the corner. It was covered in a voluminous cream colored down comforter, and she could see from the numerous over-stuffed pillows that the sheets were a dark chocolate brown.

Everything about the room was overtly masculine, yet somehow warm and understated- just like he was.

He neatly placed her bag on the far side of the bed and slowly walked to meet her. His grey eyes darkened as he reached for her, pulling her close and putting his mouth to hers, nuzzling it as he spoke, "This is my bedroom."

Juliana laughed softly, "Is this where the magic happens?" The corny line earned her one of his beautiful smiles and he brought his mouth up to her hear before he answered her.

"Oh, I hope the magic won't be limited to just one room."

She closed her eyes at the images that instantly came to mind and actually had to steady herself for a moment to keep from shaking. Tuck seemed to instantly sense it, and his lips found hers in a slow soft kiss that spoke of nothing but promises.

"I'd like to have breakfast in bed," He said as he pulled away from her mouth. "The food is ready, I just have to plate everything and I'll be right up. Make yourself comfortable and relax, love."

Juliana nodded and after he disappeared, she waited only for a moment before she ran over to her bag and fished out her satin nightie, stripping off her clothes and slipping into it before she folded her pants and shirt and putting them away. She pulled back the down comforter and luxuriously soft cotton sheets and climbed into his bed. An involuntary sigh of bliss came from her lips as she settled into the memory foam mattress, it was incredibly soft. Oh, she could easily spend a night sleeping in this bed with little to no prodding, that was for damn sure- or fifty nights...whatever.

She reached out to grab the remote and turned on the TV as she strategically placed herself on the pillows, fluffing out her hair and making sure that she made for as enticing a sight as he could meet coming up the stairs. She surfed through the channels and came across the beginning of _The Bourne Identity. _It seemed like a decent movie to watch. It was action-ey enough for a man, and well it was Matt Damon at his prime hotness.

Tuck walked up the stairs a few minutes later with a huge oak breakfast tray and balancing a bottle of champagne under his arm. He carefully set it down at the foot of the bed before taking her in with a raised eyebrow, "Now, what do we have here?"

Juliana tried to be as composed as possible as she offered a sly retort, "I believe you requested satin and lace this evening, I am happy to oblige."

He laughed as he fiddled with the cork of the champagne bottle, letting it go with a controlled '_pop'. _"It is very, very much appreciated. Mimosa?"

"Please," She smiled eagerly. "I am dying to know what is on the menu this evening."

Tuck poured two glasses of champagne with just the perfect touch of fresh squeezed orange juice and handed one to her before he crawled onto bed beside her, placing his drink on the side table before he pulled the elevated tray to them. "Well, allow me to indulge you. This evening we have a freshly made brioche waffle with bacon inside, a small scoop of maple syrup gelato with more crumbled bacon to be a tad naughty, and all that is covered in Vermont maple syrup. I also have a spinach and egg white omelet for us to share so we can forget the fact that we just had dessert for dinner."

Juliana's mouth watered as she stared at the food, elegantly plated with oversized white plates, navy blue napkins and good silverware. "Thank you. Oh my God, this looks and smells incredible."

He winked, "I owe you for the masterpiece you created yesterday. Please, I hope you enjoy it."

She scooted close, putting a napkin down just to be careful not to make a mess as she cut a piece of the steaming waffle, making sure to get syrup and a little of the melting gelato in the bite. Her eyes closed as a harmony of sweet and salty, warm and cold, tingled her tongue. It was absolutely delicious, and she couldn't help the little moan that slipped from her lips.

Her cheeks were dusted with blush as she looked over at the rapt and very attentive expression on his face. She swallowed the mouthful and dabbed at her lips with the napkin, "It's really good. I'm sorry about the theatrics, I just...well I love food, what can I say."

Tuck laughed as he took a bite of his own and chewed thoughtfully. "Don't apologize, it's very refreshing and extremely sexy to see a woman enjoy a meal. It is all too rare these days, trust me."

Somehow him saying that anything she did was "sexy" was enough to get her heart racing. She sipped at the sweet mimosa, loving the way the bubbly champagne seemed to go right to her head. It was definitely the reason she kept talking with a teasing tone. "So, what else besides an appetite do you find sexy, Mr. Hansen?"

"Hmm," He said as he took another bite. "I find intelligence sexy, and a good sense of humor too." His face grew very calm as he took a deep breath, "Loyalty, independence, and a woman who is strong enough to let me be a man and take care of her from time to time. I find those qualities to be very attractive as well."

Juliana stared at his handsome face, wondering just what would have happened if she had met this amazing man before she'd had her heart broken. Would his words have taken hold of her with the same incredible strength? Could she have ever appreciated something like this?

She gently put down her fork as she reached over to pull his face to hers, kissing him deeply, tasting his sweet lips, wondering if it wasn't his words that made his kiss so irresistible. She pulled away from him and smiled with a genuine, unabashed grin. "I have never been so thankful that other women have been so ridiculous and stupid in my entire life."

Tuck chuckled lightly, "And there you are again, making me feel like a nervous schoolboy."

There was something interesting in his words, and it hit her in an odd way. She drained the rest of her drink in a few big swallows, needing the bravery. "I think you should put this tray on the floor for a moment." He instantly obeyed and returned to the bed, his eyes darkening and focused on her.

Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she had no idea where she got the bravery from, but when she spoke to him her voice was soft and strong. "I want you to let go."

His head tilted slightly and he seemed genuinely confused, "I don't understand what you mean?"

She chose her words very carefully, but they were purposeful. "You held something back the other night when you..." She had to make a fist to keep her hands from shaking, as she just let it out. "When you made love to me. I don't want you to hide from me."

Tuck swallowed hard, "I usually pride myself on being a gentleman." He scratched the back of his head for a moment and she could tell that he was still fighting with something.

It suddenly dawned on her that he could possibly be worried about expressing the not-so-civilized side of his personality. On their first date she'd pretty much laid it out there that her ex-fiance screwed around and broke her heart. He was trying to make sure every step of the way that she was comfortable, he was way too much of a goddamn gentleman for his own good.

He wasn't safe and boring, he was sincere, and very attuned to the people around him. And for that he deserved to have her in a complete way that she had never been before. Tonight she wouldn't think, she would do what felt right...she would say what was on her mind, and she would surrender to him completely.

"Take your clothes off, now."

Tuck completely froze for a moment, before his head snapped up to look at her.

Juliana crawled out from underneath the blankets and began to back him up as he reached down to pull off his shirt. She went for the tie on his pants, untying it with a soft yank before she grabbed the hem of his pants and pulled them down. She tossed them to the other side of the bed as she stared at his amazing body bared before her. She was pretty sure that she was panting like a bitch in heat as she stared at his inked muscular chest, and lower, the narrow cradle of his hips, and then the very straining appendage between his legs that finally drew her attention. She could actually feel her mouth water as the rest of her body ran hot and cold with waves of unbearable lust.

Tuck sat up to reach for her and she refused to let him, instantly crawling up beside him to push down on his chest and make him lie back. She kissed him again, this time letting a lustful play come into her moves as she nipped his lips and sucked on his tongue with a slow pull. He was breathing as hard as she was when her hungry mouth moved down to his throat with more insistent kisses. His hands desperately reached out to touch some part of her, but he had to settle for getting a half hearted grasp of her satin covered back with one, and the other fisted in the blanket beside him.

She moved down his chest, nipping and licking at the different pictures she found, for the first time taking a gaze at them in a little more detail. It would have been nice to really look at them, but when her tongue swiped over one of his flat nipples he gasped loudly, and her eyes widened at the sight of his manhood actually straining up with a bob. Whatever reservations she may have had about doing this instantly flew out the window, she wanted to see him come completely free and unglued. She moved to his abs, smiling as she felt him tremble beneath her lips.

"You...you don't have to..." His voice was hoarse and so full of need and lust that Juliana felt herself dampen at that alone.

Her blue eyes looked up to see him with his eyes closed tightly, his lush lips parted as he panted the words out. Instead of replying she moved down further to take the rock hard staff of his cock into her mouth in a long pull.

"Oh, _fuck_!" Tuck moaned loudly as she took him in her hand and began to work on him with an eagerness that had him reeling. Her mouth was warm and so wet, and she was sucking at him with the right combination of intensity that he actually thought he was losing his mind. It had been ages since someone had done this to him, and he was definitely sure that he had never been with a woman that was this damn eager to do it. A sudden humming vibration came from her mouth and he felt his entire body jerk as his dick throbbed, it nearly tore him apart when he realized that she was enjoying this as much as he was.

His hand came up to gently tangle into her soft curly hair as he tried to caress any part of her as she drove him insane. "It's so good, _so good_," He whispered before devolving into a string of gasps and unintelligible groans.

Juliana couldn't believe how amazing he felt in her mouth. She never did this, it was something that required trust and intimacy, and she'd never had that with_ him_. But with Tuck it was...different...perfect. The hand in her hair that was gentle and respectful, the way her shivered and moaned, she knew that everything she was doing was turning them both on.

The hand in her hair tightened slightly and he gently coaxed her off him, "You need to stop, love, please, I don't want to come yet."

She pulled away and knelt back as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm her own breathing. She smiled and went to say something to him that would have no doubt come out completely wrong, but she didn't get the chance. In a flash Tuck was up and on her, spinning them both and pinning her into the covers with ease. His eyes were practically black with lust as he stared at her for a moment before his plump lips devoured hers.

Juliana gasped as his tongue plunged into her mouth greedily, one hand tangling in her hair as the other traveled up her thigh to grip her hip. This is what she wanted. He wasn't thinking anymore. He wasn't concerned with being a gentleman- he was doing something for himself. He pulled his mouth from hers and brought it to her ear. "That was the hottest fucking thing...seeing you do that. Did you like it?"

Oh, God, this _was_ what she wanted.

"Yes," She answered as he moved his mouth to her throat. "I wanted you to lie back and enjoy it, and now I want you to have me however you want."

Tuck felt like a kid in a candy store. His mind screamed at him, telling him to do any number of things, and it actually took a moment before he concentrated enough to have an answer that satisfied him. He wanted a mouthful of her sweetness, and then he was finally going to get behind her and let go.

He was harder than he could ever remember being. He kissed down across the pale satin of her slip, hardly noticing the contrast between that and her soft skin, until he finally tasted the wet flesh between her milky thighs with an eager kiss. She was soaking wet, and when he realized that having him in her mouth had done this to her, he snapped.

He worked her relentlessly. His tongue slithering inside her to lap at the sensitive spot he could already feel quivering, before he moved to the apex to teethe and toy with the bundle of nerves that was making her legs shake. She tasted so damn good, and he took it all in his mouth as he felt her finally cry out in a high, breathy whine as she came, her sweet moisture bursting into his mouth.

Juliana's entire body was numb as she felt him gently pulling off her slip and nudging her to roll onto her stomach. She listened and carefully turned over to hesitantly get on her hands and knees. He came up behind her, his strong hands still gentle on her hips as he took his length in his hand and slid home with a strong thrust.

She covered her mouth with her hand, muffling her noise, mindful of the fact that she wasn't in her own place and she didn't know how close his neighbors were. And when he started to move, his hips driving and flexing hard, she had to blindly reach for a pillow to keep from crying out.

Bloody-fucking-hell. He'd told her that he prided himself on being a gentleman. But as he stared at the pale globes of her ass in his hands while he rocked into her...it was the furthest thing from his damn mind. All he could think of was the way she was hot and wet, and grabbing him tighter by the second, and the way that his orgasm was practically burning to get out. Thanks to her incredible mouth the feeling of liquid, fiery desire already licked down his spine, driving him mad. He couldn't last much longer.

He felt himself draw up tight and he tried to finish with dignity, dropping down so his chest was over her back to change the angle, praying he could get her there.

"Love, I'm going to come," Tuck managed to grind out through clenched teeth. "You feel too good."

"I'm so close," She whimpered, "Just a little more, please, harder."

He dropped his head to rest against her shoulder as he granted her wish, his thrusts increasing in both speed and intensity, at the same time knowing it was the end for him.

It hit him all at once, his release ripping through his body as he burst inside her with a groan. His cock was pumping out his seed, and then she was there with him. The walls of her sex began to ripple and pulse, and the exquisite feeling seemed to prolong his climax for just a few delicious moments. He was breathing hard as he kissed the side of her face gently before he pulled out of her body and tumbled onto his pillows.

Juliana collapsed boneless and trembling with satisfaction right beside him. She turned to see him gathering his composure and smiled at herself. "That was amazing," She whispered with something that could only be called awe in her voice.

He looked at her as his full lips quirked into a grin, "You were absolutely incredible, darling. I don't know whether to thank you or curse you."

"Why curse me?" She inquired as she rolled onto her side as he turned to look at her, his fingers tracing the line of her shoulder slowly.

"Because you've now given me still more things I am going to want every moment of every day, and, honestly, how am I to go about work while I'm thinking about all that, hmm? I'll never get anything accomplished."

"Welcome to my life," She said leaning over to smooth her fingers over his brow. "You've been doing that to me since I met you."

Tuck shook his head and kissed her again, she could feel his smile against her lips.

"I guess we are going to have to reheat our meal."

:o:o:o

He dressed in his discarded pants again to take their plates downstairs to add hot syrup to the waffles and to reheat the omelet. She put her slip back on and climbed beneath the blankets as he reappeared with their food.

They ate in silence, savoring every morsel. Tuck's eyes finally came up to notice the movie and he tilted his head just in time to see one of Hollywood's most interesting Mini Cooper chase scenes. "What are we watching, darling?"

"_The Bourne Identity, _Matt Damon is in it,you've never seen it before?" She answered as she sipped at another mimosa.

Tuck shook his head, "I haven't actually."

"This guy is some sort of insane black ops spy and he gets amnesia, and the US government agency that he works for is now trying to kill him because they think he's gone rogue and then he meets this girl." She explained. "It's really good."

He nodded and took a swig of his own drink, "And I am sure Mr. Blonde hair with his perfect white smile and All American good-looks slipped beneath your radar when assessing the quality of the film."

Juliana could tell that he was teasing her and she smiled, "It did not slip below the radar, but I will tell you that Clive Owen has a bit part in here, and I much prefer to hear him talk in that sexy British accent. I have a thing for that you know."

"You do?"

She quirked her brow, "Um, yes, yes I do."

Juliana scrunched up her face for a moment as another particularly crazy action sequence started up. "Do you think there are people actually like this? I mean, I know the FBI and the CIA probably have undercover spies all over the place doing counterterrorism, but the idea that someone has passports and Swiss bank accounts and can kill someone with their bare hands or a pen. That's wild."

Tuck smirked, "That_ is_ wild. But I am sure the government has people all over the place doing interesting things, they are the government after all."

She nodded, remembering the types of experiments and work that was going on at the Anchorage CDC location that she worked at. Things like weaponized Smallpox, Ebola, Marburg, and the other horrific diseases that were developed as biological weapons. The US government kept them under lock and key, and scientists like her tried to find a way to protect the country from them in case they were ever used by an enemy force.

"True," She said as she stretched, her eyes falling back on the TV and snuggling up next to him, resting her head on his muscular shoulder with a satisfied yawn. "Guess we'll never know."

Tuck sighed in a wave of self-loathing as he felt her soft legs twine with his under the blankets and he held her close. There was so much swirling around in his head. He wanted to tell her everything, he wanted to blow his damn cover and he wanted to let her know who he really was. But he knew the moment he did, he'd have to give up her information to the CIA and it wouldn't be long before her background caused a problem with his current investigation. And that would be the end of it. He'd seen other agents careers and lives torn apart by this sort of thing, and it wouldn't happen to him. He wouldn't give her up.

He just needed to get this taken care of...just a little while longer, and then he could tell her everything.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Here we go! Just a little more for your reading pleasure!**

**Please read and review! As always, love the support guys, the words mean so much.**

* * *

Juliana woke the next morning to the delicious feeling of being wrapped up in a cocoon of soft blankets and the warm, hard feeling of Tuck's incredible body behind her, holding her close. It was so perfect that she didn't even mind the chiming, repetitive sound of his alarm at five thirty.

He stirred behind her and snuggled closer, burying his nose behind her ear. "Good morning, love." He murmured, his deep accented voice still husky with sleep. "Mmm, I don't want to move. Let's just stay here from now on."

She laughed and rolled over to face him. "Don't you dare tempt me." He was still so goddamn handsome even first thing in the morning.

He leaned forward to kiss her quickly before he stretched and got up. "Shower or breakfast?"

Juliana was puzzled as she sat up, "I was hoping for both before I have to sit behind my desk for eight hours."

Tuck grinned, "Let me clarify, I was asking if you prefer us to shower together first, or if you'd like me to make you a quick breakfast first."

She bit her lip, "Shower, definitely."

* * *

As sexy as standing in his tiled glass shower was, they both actually stuck to getting ready- with the occasional touch or soapy rub that escalated into a heated stare. But unfortunately time was against them.

It was erotically mundane to stand at the sink together as they got ready for work. But it was something she honestly could imagine enjoying on a very regular basis. She fluffed her hair after she finished with her makeup and stared at him in a nice pale purple shirt that was still hanging open with a perfectly tailored pair of black slacks. She looked up to see the scrawled letters of his tattoo along his left collarbone.

"Proud father," Juliana mused out loud. "Very nice, and in Italian no less."

He met her eyes in the mirror and smiled at her, "I have an affinity for Italian things it seems."

"You have good taste."

He leaned his head over to her ear before he whispered, "I am a fan of tasting good things."

The waft of cologne from his warm, freshly shaven face so close to her nose actually made her dizzy, and when his words finally registered in her foggy brain, she knew it had very little to do with food and culture and a whole lot to do with his mouth between her legs.

Tuck grinned cheekily and winked at her blush as he kissed her temple. "Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast sound acceptable?"

"It does."

She followed him out of the bathroom as she gathered up her things and brought them downstairs. She'd chosen a very simple outfit for work, just a pair of cuffed black capri pants and a black and white sleeveless blouse with a gauzy flowing layer over a simple black scoop neck tank. On her feet was a respectable pair of 3'' sling back peep-toed pumps. It was her usual attire, understated, and conservative.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked as she leaned against the breakfast bar.

"I am just fine," He paused as he opened the refrigerator. "Although if you'd like, the Keurig is beside the sink and the mugs are hanging, I'd love a coffee."

Juliana nodded and quickly prepped two cups, cream and sugar for her, and black with two sugars for Tuck. He quickly whipped up a very decent breakfast and they both ate companionably, keeping an eye on the clock.

She stared around the gorgeous loft and caught sight of the motorcycles parked in the corner of the room. "I've been meaning to ask, do you ride or are they just for decoration?"

"I do ride actually, though not as much as I'd like to." He answered taking a sip of coffee, "I generally prefer to take it out of the city traffic and drive along the pacific coast highway." He paused for a moment and looked at her. "Would you like to take a ride with me sometime?"

Juliana's face lit up, "Absolutely, I love being on a bike."

It had been a long time too. Her father had always had one, and she'd even taken lessons and gotten her license when she was eighteen. But there hadn't been time in quite a while to enjoy a ride.

Tuck smiled at her. He hadn't had a woman on the back of his bike since his University days, and he could think of nothing more pleasing than the thought of riding with Juliana with the wind in his face and her arms wrapped around him tightly.

"What are you plotting?" Juliana asked with a smirk as she finished her coffee and brought her empty plate to the sink to rinse it off.

"Ah, just getting a mental image of you wrapped around me, and then of course the bike ride as well." He replied casually as he turned to stare at her, his eyes lingering on her backside for a moment before he met her eyes, knowing full well that he was being caught staring.

She blushed and shook her head, enjoying the fact that he was finally showing her the playful side of him that seemed to always come out with FDR. "You know you _can_ make a girl self-conscious staring at her less than flat ass when she lives in Barbie-doll land."

Tuck bit his lip and walked to the sink to deposit his own dish, and stood over her shoulder as his hips pressed against her and a palm came up to squeeze the flesh he had been staring at. "I hope I'm making someone else conscious of it," He spoke lowly into her ear. "Because I do feel rather like I've developed an unhealthy fascination with it, and I'm concerned about my mental health."

Juliana gasped in surprise as he actually rolled against her in a slow thrust and she felt a definite stirring hardness. She half wondered if she'd unleashed some sort of monster last night when she told him to let loose…but she'd be lying through her teeth if she said that it wasn't thrilling and damn exciting.

"You really shouldn't tease a girl with that."

He chuckled lowly in her ear, "And you should really reconsider wearing pants to work from now on."

Her eyes went over to the clock on the oven, it was already 7:15, she knew she could comfortably get to work in a little over an hour with the morning traffic, so there was a few spare minutes. She wasn't sure what his commuting time was, but if he was anywhere downtown, he couldn't be much longer than that.

She was actually mortified at the fact that her hands were already moving to the button on her pants and she slid them down without a word and without looking over her shoulder. She stepped out of one leg and was left standing there in nothing but her blouse, heels and a very serviceable pair of white cotton panties.

Juliana couldn't believe she was actually bending over the counter, and she definitely couldn't believe that she was arching her back to reach up and grab his neck to pull his face to hers as she looked back. His plump lips were in front of her face and the look of surprised lust on his face was driving her crazy.

"We have fifteen minutes."

Tuck smirked at her breathless voice as he unfastened his belt and his pants hit the hardwood floor with a dull clink. This was by far the best five days of his bloody life.

"I'll get you there in ten," He whispered back as he took her lips in a searing kiss.

* * *

Tuck was practically beaming as he sauntered up to his desk an hour and a half later with a walk that said, he'd had_ fucking_ amazing sex standing up against his _fucking_ kitchen counter at seven o'clock in the _fucking_ morning with the most wonderful _fucking_ woman in the world!

"Good morning, Franklin," He said with a smile as he put a cup of coffee on his partner's desk and playfully patted the unsuspecting man on the cheek before he sat down behind his own. "How _does_ this day find you?"

FDR's generous brows rose up to his hairline, "Wow... just…_wow_…I am in shock."

Tuck logged onto his computer and threw up his feet on the desk as he grabbed his keyboard and put it in his lap. "Trust me, mate, no one is more in shock than I am."

"What did she let you do?"

Tuck turned to look at him unable to stop the stupid smile that was on his face, "Whatever filthy dirty things you have in your head, you need to stop that right now. That's my girl you are talkin' about."

"Aww, man, now you have to tell me. Something, anything to get through the day."

"I can give you plenty of things to get you through the day, Foster."

The sharp voice of Collins made them both jump instantly and sit properly behind their desks. Their heads turned to see the boss with her arms crossed over her chest, staring them down with a less than amused look on her face.

"My office, now."

* * *

Tuck walked up to his boss' office with a sigh of trepidation as she walked behind her desk and sat down.

"So how was Washington?" FDR asked casually. "Hit all the good parties and schmooze with the politicians for a free meal?"

Her perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose up as she stared at him, "It was wonderful, Foster, I had all sorts of free time to go sightseeing and clubbing."

Tuck pursed his lips as he stared at his friend, knowing that he had just signed his own death warrant.

Collins slapped a huge pile of files in front of him, "In fact I was so busy I didn't get a chance to do anything with all of this surveillance data from the CDC break in. I was going to assign it to Bothwick and Boyles, but since you are asking Hansen here for something to get you through the day, I guess I know what you are going to be doing for the foreseeable future."

"Yes, Ma'am," FDR answered.

Tuck remained stock-still in his chair, knowing that he was not out of the woods yet.

"Hansen, do you have anything for me this morning?"

"I do actually," He said as he cleared his throat. "Harkins is dead. It came across the wire from the FBI Saturday morning. Locals found him floating in the bay outside of Anchorage, one shot to the head. And most interesting of all, he was in the water before the break in. Coroner things he was dead only a few hours after he was taken."

Collins tapped her fingers on her desk. "So whoever did this break in has credentials and the knowledge to get someone into the CDC without being noticed. Looks like you have a lot to look for, Foster."

She grabbed a stack of files and handed them over to Tuck. "These are the last fifteen projects that Harkins oversaw. I need you to go through them and tell me if anything at all connects to the lab supply thefts that we have been tracking."

He nodded and took the stack, standing and waiting for the elegant black woman to dismiss them both with a curt nod of her head.

FDR followed him out of her office balancing a box full of folders and digital recordings, "Well, I'm gonna go make Bothwick and Boyles watch this while I take a nap, enjoy your reading. You want Thai for lunch? I have a craving for something spicy."

"Thai sounds good," Tuck nodded. "Enjoy your movie time."

* * *

He felt like an absolute moron.

Tuck skimmed through the reports Collins had given him, and felt like they might as well have been written in Russian for all he knew.

Scratch that, he could actually read Russian; Sanskrit was probably a more accurate assessment. There was absolutely nothing that he could glean from them at all, just a few mentions of a couple diseases that he'd heard of somewhere along the line. Probably an episode of CSI or one of the pointless action movies him and FDR watched.

In fact he was about ready to pack away the entire thing when he came across the report of a set of research experiments that had been conducted almost ten months ago called, _"Matrix Protein Structures and Possible NPC-1 Affinity of Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus"._

And while he had not a bloody clue what any of that meant, what he did notice was the scientist that conducted the experimentsunder the direct supervision of Harkins- _Dr. J. Marchetti._

Juliana, _his_ Juliana, who was supposed to be a research archivist, was running experiments and apparently working very closely ten months ago with a man who had a goddamn bullet hole in his head.

He skimmed through the thick report and soon noticed that there was a large chunk of the information that was missing. In fact from what it looked like the entire last case study and the accompanying results were literally cut out.

What in the hell had she been studying? A strange feeling twisted in his gut, was she lying to him about what she did for a living? The irony was almost amusing if it didn't plague him.

So he did what any completely normal, sane NOC CIA agent would do when he wanted to know something about someone, he accessed her personal information through the government database and combed through her work files. He found the address of the location, and then a phone number.

He stared at his cell phone.

He should trust her, he _loved_ her. But the agent side of his mind refused to go on something like that. He needed something concrete, some evidence.

So he dialed the number and patiently waited as the automated directory allowed him to type in her name. It connected over and after three rings he heard her answer.

"Good morning, archives, Dr. Marchetti speaking."

Tuck couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face, or the way that his heart sped up at the sound of her voice. She wasn't lying to him now. She was an archivist at the moment.

"Good morning, my lovely, how are you?" He said.

He could hear the smile in her voice, as if she was as eager as he was. "Much better now," She answered. "Why are you calling me on my work phone?"

"Just wanted to surprise you," Tuck said truthfully.

"I am pleasantly surprised," She replied.

"Glad to hear that."

He could hear the sound of shuffling papers in the background and he suddenly felt like an ass for doubting her at all. But there was a nagging thought on the tip of his tongue, he knew now he had to ask her about what sort of work she'd done before, but he wasn't even remotely sure how to do it.

"I was also curious if I can I get you to sleep over again?" He asked as control of his brain was suddenly seeded from his head to his cock.

Juliana laughed sweetly into the phone, "I don't know I have quite an evening planned for myself."

"Ah, well I wouldn't want to interrupt your plans." Tuck knew she was teasing him, and instantly his mind drifted back to what happened in his kitchen before she left.

The way she held the back of his neck to hold him close, and the way she rocked her hips into him, meeting each of his thrusts with one of her own, and most amazing of all was the way she looked at him the whole time, keeping eye contact as they both drove one another absolutely insane. It somehow had been the best sex of his life, and it lasted ten damn minutes.

"Well, I _suppose_ I could amend those plans, I was just going to take a walk down at the beach and then take a nice long shower to scrub off any sand that stuck to me." She offered with a sigh.

He sat back in his chair with a smile, "Mmm that sounds lovely. And I am concerned that you may need assistance scrubbing yourself in the shower, that sand can be very pesky. It gets into all sorts of places."

"You are making me blush at my desk, Mr. Hansen." Juliana scolded quietly.

He laughed warmly as he looked down at his lap his voice dropping to a low volume, "At least you can stand up, darling. I can't manage that without a public indecency charge."

"Oh," She breathed with a trembling huff. "Damn it, my boss is calling me on the other line; I have to let you go. I just have to grab some clothes and I'll be over after work. Is seven good?"

"Seven is perfect," He answered. "I'll see you then, my love."

"I can't wait."

Her breathless voice rang in his ears for another five minutes as he stared at his computer screen. His body finally calmed from a racing flood to just a low, steady hum of arousal, and when he could think again he stared down at the paperwork still in front of him.

Well, Wikipedia and Google should be the best places to start so he could at least be able to understand what the hell the bloody _title_ of her paper meant.

* * *

A few hours later Tuck was sitting behind his desk eating a piping hot dish of red Thai curry with chicken and a host of fresh veggies over rice, as he stared at his tablet, completely engaged in the novel _The Hot Zone _by Richard Preston.

It was a gripping and horrifying and _true_ account of some of the hemorrhagic fevers that USAMRIID and the CDC worked with. His stomach flip-flopped at the first twenty or so pages, a particularly gruesome account of a man who contracts _Marbrurgvirus_ in an African cave and proceeds to bleed out a week or so later in the waiting room of a Nairobi hospital.

He learned things that even as a CIA operative who had traveled the world opened his eyes. Terms like "crashed and bleeding out" and "black vomit", the concept that the lining of one's intestines and stomach can slough off while a person is still alive, and the fact that during the end stages, when your insides literally liquefied, blood was want to ooze out of any place on the body that had a hole.

Suddenly the red curry was becoming less and less appetizing to him.

But what was fascinating and kept him reading on was the description of the way that the virologists dealt with these viruses. He learned about the four different biohazard classifications and how they were managed, and also how the scientists donned "blue space suits" with their own air hoses, because in a level four laboratory nothing was safe.

Most stunning was the fact that the level four agents, the most virulent and fatal to humans like _Ebolavirus _and _Marburgvirus,_ had no cure, and scientists worked with them at their own peril.

In fact, if you were infected while working, there was no choice but to be treated within a secure on-site hospital called the "slammer" where fellow doctors treated you wearing the same space suits as in the lab, and if (most likely _when_) you passed away, your remains were sent to a level 4 morgue called the "submarine" where you were autopsied,_ incinerated, _decontaminated and then deposited into a biohazard box which may or may not be released to your loved ones.

Tuck's heart raced at the thought that Juliana did that for a living. She stood face to face with death and he was now infinitely curious as to what drew her to do something like that. What could make a person want to work with the threat that they might never come home?

He knew the answer immediately. It was the same reason he did what he did, because it was a way to make sure that the world was a better place. It was a way to contribute to the betterment of humanity.

It touched a strange kindred feeling in his body. There weren't many people who traveled around the world undercover with no safety net chasing after the worst of the worst either. But it was an extraordinary calling that pulled at him, and he reckoned it was probably the same for her.

He was so enthralled in the book, and the notes that he was taking, that he didn't even realize when FDR came sauntering back to his desk at five thirty.

"Look at you Mr. Nerdly Smartington with all your little notes and papers, its quitting time." He announced as he grabbed his personal bags and shut off his computer.

"Thanks mate," Tuck mumbled as he stretched and took note of his page before starting to pack everything up. "Did you find anything on the disks?"

"Yeah, I think those scientists are really robots," He answered. "I don't think I saw one of them crack any emotion for a twelve hour shift, that's not normal."

Tuck instantly found his mind drawn to the memory of Juliana last night as she moved down his chest with her soft lips and he actually shivered at it- yeah she was no robot.

"But nothing out of the ordinary?"

"Nope," FDR sighed. "Of course it doesn't help that this guy's office is in the one place in the entire building that does not have a recording from the cameras. Obviously if you are going to break into the CDC you are going to be able to cut a camera feed. And I know Collins knows this too…so she's torturing me for nothing I am pretty sure."

Tuck smirked as he threw on his coat and gathered his things. "You think you'd know by now not to push her buttons."

"I can't help it, man." He answered nonchalantly, "I'm a glutton for punishment and let's be honest you know no one else pushes her button."

"I am not even touching that comment."

* * *

Juliana smiled as she ended the call with her sister, Kathleen. The two of them had a nice long chat on her way home from work as she sat in the ridiculous congestion of traffic.

It was nice to hear her little sister's voice and to catch up on her life, and honestly it was really nice to gush about Tuck like some sort of thirteen-year-old with a crush on the cutest guy in school. Because it had probably literally been since high school that she'd actually been this ridiculously stupid about a boy.

Except he wasn't a boy.

He was a man with a blistering hot voice and an insane amount of sex appeal who had made her eggs for breakfast and then had sex with her standing at his kitchen counter- no, scratch that- he _bent her over_ his kitchen counter and gave her the most intense orgasm to date, and all before seven thirty in the morning.

She physically had to shake her head to concentrate on the road, but even then the butterflies in her stomach were out of control. For the thousandth time in the past few days she couldn't believe that this was turning out to be her life. It was like watching some sort of Hallmark movie, with a bit of choice mind-numbing sex, and she was pretty sure that any moment she was going to wake up from it all and be sleeping on her couch in her sweatpants with a huge bowl of popcorn, covered in drool, and with the realization that she was still completely alone.

Juliana sighed as she pulled into her driveway and shut off the car. She was just going to do a quick run in to grab a new bag of clothes and then she would be on her way. She was thinking over the various places they could go to take a walk, she hadn't been to any of the beaches since she'd been in LA, aside from Venice Beach with him on their first date. So she was really up for anything.

Her head was down as she walked up the small sidewalk to her front door, and she reached into her purse to fish around for her keys when she suddenly looked up at her front door and froze.

The door jamb was dented and splintered and the door itself was hanging wide open with the knob completely smashed. From what she could see from there, the inside of the place had been literally torn apart.

Juliana's entire body tensed and she stepped backwards before she turned quickly ran back to her car as she pulled out her phone, locking the door the instant it closed.

Her first call was to the police to frantically report what had happened.

Her second call was to Tuck.

* * *

**Uh, oh…**

**Also, as another note, if you ever want to scare the literal shit out of yourself please read **_**The Hot Zone…**_**it is an awesome book. And then you will live the rest of your life thinking that every time you sneeze that your life is ending…so do it at your own risk. Here's a quote:**

"_**A hot virus from the rain forest lives within a twenty-four-hour plan flight from every city on earth. All of the earth's cities are connected by a web of airline routes. The web is a network. Once a virus hits the net, it can shoot anywhere in a day-Paris, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, wherever planes fly."**_


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Sorry about the delay loves...busy weekend! But have no fear...I'm back with a nice chapter where not much happens at all ; ).**

**As always, your support is amazing and inspiring. Thank you to all who have left a review and given this story love! Mwah! Keep it up!**

* * *

Tuck was sitting in absolute gridlock traffic on the way home from work when his phone rang, he smiled instantly when he noticed Juliana's name across the screen. "Couldn't wait to see me love..."

"Tuck?" Her voice cut him off and his face instantly fell, he could hear a panicked tremble in her voice.

"Sweetheart, I'm here, what's wrong?"

"I'm...someone broke into my place. The front door is smashed in, and I think they went through my things. I just peeked in and shit is everywhere. I have no idea if anything is missing." She was talking so fast it was almost hard for him to follow.

"Do not go in there," He said sternly, his voice falling into the practiced military-like tone he used in the field. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the driveway inside my car with the doors locked, I called the police they are on the way."

"Just stay where you are, love. It's going to be alright," He tried to calm her as best he could as his own heart rate began to accelerate in a frantic, pounding rhythm, charging his body with adrenaline. "I'm on my way, and I don't want you getting out of that car for anyone, alright, police or not. I'll see you soon."

"Alright, Tuck." She answered, her voice still wavering with emotion. "Please hurry."

Tuck hung up and tossed his phone into the passenger's seat as he caught sight of the nearest exit ramp. He didn't think, he just pulled off and started down the side streets, needing to bypass the traffic and get to her as soon as he could. His mind was already turning and racing furiously, the part of him that was in love with her needed to be near his woman, but the other part of his mind, the calm, analytical CIA agent was already compiling a list of probable scenarios- and none of them were good.

* * *

Juliana's head was spinning when the police finally showed up. There were a couple squad cars and four officers who all stood around the outside of her car that she refused to get out of. She merely rolled down the window and calmly explained the situation and gave her and her landlord's information.

She was starting to get anxious, and then finally out of the corner of her eye she saw Tuck's black SUV pull up to the curb and he jumped out a moment later, jogging over to her car.

One of the officers, a younger man, turned quickly to put his hand on his chest barking at him to back off, and Juliana was surprised to see the dark fire that suddenly burned in Tuck's grey eyes at the contact. His voice was polite, but hard as nails when he spoke.

"That's my girl, Officer, let me by."

Juliana didn't wait, or excuse herself from the grey-haired officer who was taking her statement. Instead she just jumped out of the car and ran over to him, meeting his eyes with a relieved stare.

"Do you know him, Ma'am?" The young officer asked.

"Yes," She said in a rush. "He's my boyfriend."

Tuck reached out for her and she instantly wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his strong chest, taking deep breaths of his cologne to calm herself down. She felt him hold her close and kiss the top of her head, his deep voice almost humming into her hair.

"It's alright, my darling, I'm right here."

* * *

They were stuck standing in the driveway for another hour as the police searched her place for any sign of anyone. When they were finally allowed to go inside, Juliana couldn't stop the tears from coming.

The entire place was ransacked and absolutely destroyed.

There was nothing that was spared. Her TV was on the floor, the couch was torn apart and shredded, kitchen cabinets were opened and every dish and glass had been pulled out and smashed, and her family pictures had even been torn apart and the frames destroyed.

She walked down to see the bathroom in disrepair, and finally her bedroom. The bed was torn apart and the mattress had been shredded with some sort of knife. She blushed furiously as she noticed that her bedside table had also been ripped apart and her until recently very well used purple vibrator was in plain view on the carpet for all to see.

Like she needed anything else right now to feel like complete shit.

Her clothes were scattered everywhere. Everything from her bureaus to her closet had been tossed out and scattered all around the room.

"Now, I know it is almost impossible to tell," The grey haired officer that had taken her report spoke up from behind them. "But is there anything that you notice to be missing? Any valuables that you have?"

Juliana sighed as she rubbed her face in her hands, trying to wipe away her tears with some dignity. Her red-rimmed blue eyes stared around the mess at her small jewelry box that was on the floor in front of her smashed vanity mirror. She didn't really own too much in the way of expensive things, and the small freshwater pearl necklace that her parents had given her when she graduated from medical school was on the floor.

"I can't guess with this mess," She sighed. "But I don't really have anything worth stealing."

"Any computers or electronics?" He asked.

"No, I don't have a laptop or anything anymore," She mumbled. "Just my TV and that is destroyed." She could feel her head begin to pound, and Juliana rubbed her temples in anticipation of a killer migraine.

Tuck's warm hands came up to rest on her shoulders, as if he knew she was at the end of her rope. He gently massaged the base of her skull and cleared his throat.

"Alright, officers, I don't think we are going to get anything else from this right now, and Juliana needs to take a break. How about you take some pictures and I'll take her back to my place. Will I be able to gather some clothes for her after you are done?"

The older gentleman nodded. "Give us an hour or so and you'll be able to pack a few things."

"You don't have to..." She started to tiredly protest.

"Nonsense, love. I won't have it any other way." He answered as he steered her out of the house and towards his truck. "Why don't you let me drive you, I'll take a cab back here later to get your car."

It was the last straw.

This man had been so incredibly wonderful to her these past few days; it was something she'd never had with anyone before. It was definitely that and the stress about her absolutely destroyed house that had her breaking down into huge sobs. Juliana covered her face in utter shame and mortification as she felt him stop walking and pull her close.

"Shhh," He whispered against her forehead, his pillow soft lips resting against her skin as his hands rubbed her back in soothing circles. "There is no need to be upset; nothing is going to happen to you. I'm right here."

She tried to take huge, deep breaths to calm down, but it only succeeded in her hiccupping miserably against him. It took her a moment before she could speak. She wiped her eyes again and looked up at his handsome face, hating the way she had to look like a complete and utter wreck. "Thank you, Tuck."

He kissed her gently, his lips taking hers in a soft, chaste peck. "Is your purse in your car?"

She nodded, "I'll grab that and my bag from yesterday, it has my sleep clothes in it."

"I'll be right here." He repeated again. She couldn't help but feel an immense sense of comfort at his words. She had known him for less than a week, but somehow she knew that he was telling her the truth.

She leaned into her car and grabbed her purse and the overnight bag that was in the backseat. She paused for a moment and stared at the leather book that had been mailed to her by her old boss and she froze.

This couldn't have anything to do with it…could it?

Her head started to pound and she simply stuffed it into the bottom of her purple tote, she couldn't think straight right now. She just needed to relax and calm down and get as far away from here as she could.

* * *

Juliana was exhausted when she stepped into Tuck's place a half hour later. Like the unfailing gentleman he was, he carried in her bag and set it down by the island in the kitchen.

"I'm going to go ahead and call a cab and head back to your place," He explained as he reached out to gently stroke her cheek. "Why don't you go take a nice warm shower and get comfortable, and I'll bring you home something hot for dinner?"

She smiled despite her pounding head, leaning into his hand. "You are incredible, Tuck. I can't thank you enough."

"There is nothing incredible about helping someone you care very deeply about." His voice was soft and it had her turning her head to stare into his warm eyes, falling into the feeling she found there. It was laid out before her completely honest and vulnerable, and she could do nothing other than lean in to take his mouth in a soft kiss.

"Thank you." She whispered again.

* * *

Tuck sat in the backseat of the cab, his mind racing as he dialed Boyles in the office. This entire situation made him incredibly uneasy. Juliana's place hadn't been broken into and burglarized; the entire place had been _ransacked_. Someone was looking for something.

"Good evening, sir." Bothwick's voice spoke into the phone. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, hello Bothwick, is Boylie out tonight?" He asked, keeping his voice down to keep the taxi driver out of the loop.

"Yes, sir, it's his wife's birthday."

"That's right," Tuck mumbled, remembering the conversation he'd had with the man earlier in the month. "Well if you are available I am going to need your assistance on a small bit of ears and eyes."

Bothwick laughed, "And who are we looking at this time? Pretty sure FDR has Ms. Scott covered these days."

"Very funny," Tuck said with a grumble. "I believe it's related to the work Collins had you doing this weekend. I have a couple eyes on me I am going to put down. I'll call you back when I need you to go live with them."

"Sounds good, sir."

* * *

The police were still finishing up when Tuck got back to her place. He smiled politely to the officers that he recognized from before and walked in to the house.

His well trained eyes honed in on some very telling marks. The first one being the fact that her doorknob was destroyed, it was how they gained access to the place. There was a deadbolt lock above it and judging by the fact that there was no damage to that part of the door, he was willing to bet it wasn't locked.

That was strange in itself. Juliana had by all accounts been living on her own for some time. It seemed very strange that a single woman wouldn't use her deadbolt lock.

He strolled through the living room, looking at the broken picture frames, taking note that the backs of each picture had been torn out. As if someone was looking for something inside.

Tuck glanced over his shoulder quickly and armed one of the tiny digital surveillance cameras in his pocket before casually planting it in the window sill to get a good view at the front door. He was willing to bet that whoever did this, they didn't find what they were looking for and they would most likely be back again.

He went through the kitchen in the same way, dropping a couple more cameras as he strolled down to her bedroom. He frowned at the sight of her possessions strewn all over the place. She didn't deserve to have her privacy violated like this.

There was a large suitcase in the corner of the room and a few plastic tote bins that she must have used when she moved. He carefully picked up her clothes, folding them neatly as he packed them away. He tossed a bunch of her shoes into one of the tote boxes and stared at everything he'd packed up.

She didn't really need all that much. To be honest it would probably be less than two weeks before her insurance claim was in and settled, but he rather hoped it would be a nice, subtle way to suggest that she stay with him from now on.

After all, he didn't feel particularly safe letting her out of his sight until whatever this situation was, was taken care of. Then again, he would be a complete liar to say that the thought of her moving in with him permanently didn't cross his mind. It was ridiculously fast, but hadn't everything in their relationship completely gone against every convention that he normally went by?

Hell, he wanted her to move in with him because he wanted to spend every damn minute with her. As it was right now, he was already eager to get out of here and get home to her so he could hold her in his arms and make sure that everything was okay.

Tuck stacked up her things and quickly stuck a couple of cameras in her bedroom before he carried everything out to her car.

There was a small part of his mind that questioned the fact that he was going to be spying on her no different than he had with Lauren. But there was something else that was bothering him too, Juliana was involved in something big, and he needed to get that information from her. He didn't want anything to happen to her.

Tuck dialed Bothwick at the office as he was pulling out of her driveway. "All ready, let's go live with this."

* * *

Juliana yawned tiredly as she hung up her phone. She'd just called her boss and let him know that she wouldn't be coming into work tomorrow. She was genuinely shocked that the perpetually crabby man was actually very concerned about her well being and told her that she could take as long as she liked before returning to work. He also made sure that she had a safe place to sleep.

It was funny to hear herself use the phrase "my boyfriend's place". It had been a really long time since she'd said that, and even longer since she'd actually _enjoyed_ saying it.

She contemplated calling in a claim to her insurance company so she could get that started, but in the end, she just didn't want to think about any of that at the moment. Freshly showered and wearing her fuzzy yoga pants and a t-shirt, she just wanted to relax her body and her head.

Juliana crawled across the mountain of soft bedding and snuggled into the covers of Tuck's bed, loving the way that his warm, spicy scent seemed to cling to everything in the place. She flipped on the TV and absently scrolled through the channels until she lit onto the Food Network and a special on the history if the hamburger.

As if the images spurned her hunger, her stomach growled pleasantly. She half wondered just what Tuck was going to bring her home for dinner.

But despite her hunger, her eyes began to droop and it wasn't long before she dozed off.

* * *

Juliana woke with a start, bleary eyed and with no idea how long she'd been out when she heard the door to the loft open up sometime later.

She jumped out of bed and ran to the mirror in the bathroom to do a quick fluff of her hair and to make sure that everything with her glasses was just so, before she walked down to meet him at the door.

Her eyebrow rose up as he carried in a huge tote of her shoes and a big suitcase. He literally must have packed up everything that she owned.

Tuck smiled as he put down the heavy load. "I wasn't quite sure just what to bring you, so I packed it all. You never can be too thorough when a lady's clothes and shoes are involved."

"You are too damn sweet," She sighed as she helped him stack everything up.

He disappeared for another moment before he returned with a few bags of food that smelled absolutely heavenly. "Now," He sighed playfully, "I know we planned a walk on the beach, but in light of what happened I vote for a night of comfort food and relaxation."

"What did you pick up?" She asked as she peered into the bags.

"Mmm, I went to 33taps, nice little sports pub downtown, and got two orders of mac and cheese, and their slider sampler. Think you have a couple beef hamburgers, one that is a Cuban style, and another with pulled pork." He explained as he pulled a six pack of beer out of another bag, "And of course, refreshments."

"You are going to destroy my figure," Juliana sighed as her mouth watered. "And I think I love you for that." She blushed as the words rang in her ears. She didn't mean for it to come out that way…but there it was.

Tuck paused for a moment as if weighing something in his mind before he spoke again. His voice was strangely soft, and she could hear the emotion in it. "I hope you'll love me for a bit more than that."

Maybe it was the trauma of the evening, or the fact that he'd been so wonderful to her, but Juliana somehow found the bravery to say what she normally never would have before. "I'll definitely love you for a bit more than that."

They stared at one another for a long moment, not sure of what exactly had just happened. It wasn't exactly a confession of feelings, per se…but then again it wasn't exactly like they had been talking about the weather either.

Tuck chewed on his bottom lip as he scrubbed the back of his neck and let out a little chuckle. "I can't believe I am scared shitless like a bloody child."

"I feel the same way." She whispered.

He walked to the other side of the breakfast bar and cupped her face in his hand as he held her close. His mouth hovered over hers as he stared into her eyes. "Juliana I don't want you to say it back, but I have to get this off my chest. I've only known you for a week, and I can say that you are, without a doubt, the most incredible woman that I have ever met in my life." He paused and swallowed hard against the lump of emotion that had built up in his throat. "And that's why I've completely fallen for you."

She actually shivered at his words, and the emotion that was behind them. There was a point in her life, not so long ago, where she was quite sure that she never would have felt this way about a man again. She was sure that her heart was broken beyond repair, and she'd never trust the shattered pieces to anyone again.

But now, she couldn't help herself. This man had come into her life and in just days had become so much that she could scarcely imagine it to be true. He had been there for her when she needed him most, and he trusted her with his own broken heart, it was only right that she give him back what he had given her.

"I love you," Juliana said in a trembling voice, unable to stop her tired eyes from watering.

His mouth was on hers as soon as the words fell from her lips. He kissed her hard, deep and with nothing but pure emotion. In fact they were so lost in the moment that neither one of them actually realized what was happening until they were both completely nude, splayed out on the hardwood floor right there in the middle of the room.

Tuck held her close as his body moved on her in a fast, eager rhythm, the sound of flesh meeting flesh filling the quiet air of the loft space, interspersed with breathy, passionate moans from each of them.

He knew she was exhausted, and his more civilized side told him that a woman who has confessed her love deserved bit more dignity than being shagged fast and hard on the floor of the kitchen, but the alpha male in him didn't care. Because this was _his_ woman, he'd protected her tonight when she needed him, and he _needed_ this.

His wide hand came down to cup her hip in a tight grasp as he felt her start to tremble and her inner walls began to release that sweet honey that would make them both come apart.

"I love you," Tuck ground out as he felt her begin to pulse and tremble around him. "My _God_, you feel so good."

Juliana couldn't speak; her imminent release had hijacked her brain. There was nothing she could do but focus on the way this man made her feel. Her heart hammered in a furious pounding beat and she actually felt her vision blur to black for a moment just as it hit her.

She gasped out as her back bowed up into the hard wall of his chest. Her insides shifted and suddenly she was there, careening over the edge of the cliff and drowning in a sensation of pure and utter satisfaction. She barely registered the low, deep groan of his voice in her ear as he followed her only moments later.

They were both panting in a breathless heap on the floor, and Tuck couldn't stop the smile that pulled at his mouth. "I am so sorry I wasn't civilized enough to get to a padded surface, my love."

Juliana laughed as her body still hummed with the sensation of his touch. "I would not have had that any other way, Tuck. If that is what I get from you being uncivilized, you can be a barbarian as long as you'd like."

He chuckled as he gently crouched back on his haunches and ran his hands through his hair. "Speaking of impulses in my caveman mind, I am starving. Would you prefer to eat dinner in bed?"

"Do you have to ask?" She replied with a stretch.

He winked at her as he helped her to her feet. "I suppose not. But if I may make a request?"

"Sure."

"I think you can go the rest of the evening without wearing pants."

"Mmm, I can comply with that request, assuming that you can come to bed sans shirt."

"Of course."

* * *

The two of them enjoyed their dinner, and after a beer Juliana was comfortably resting on a cloud of carbs and satisfaction. She was curled onto Tuck's shoulder as he slowly stroked her hair.

"Do you need any help with anything tomorrow?" He asked cautiously. "I can take the day and work from home."

"You don't need to do that," She breathed with a sigh. "I am just going to call in an insurance claim and probably go back over there and clean up a little."

His body stilled. "I don't want you there if I am not with you."

Juliana lifted her head to look at him, surprised with the stern look in his eyes. "Tuck, I think its fine."

"Absolutely not, I don't feel safe with you there, it's non-negotiable."

She frowned as he continued. "How long has your deadbolt lock been broken?"

"Well, yesterday it started acting up, but the lock is old." She paused, "How do you know that?"

"They smashed your _doorknob_, darling," He muttered, "Not hard to figure out you didn't lock the bloody bolt. What were you thinking not calling the police yesterday?"

Tuck couldn't help his tone. He wasn't angry at her; he was petrified that something would happen to her. What if she hadn't gone to his place last night, would she have been there all alone when whoever it was broke in?

Juliana instantly stiffened. Her entire body going cold as she sat up, "Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that. I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself. I don't need a man to take care of me."

She had dealt with this before with Gregg. She was not about to deal with another possessive ass who was going to try to take control of her life.

But Tuck's face melted at her words, his grey eyes going wide as he sat up to meet her face. "I didn't mean that at all. I just…the thought that something could have happened to you, and I wouldn't have been there…I can't think about that."

He slowly reached out to stroke her cheek in a gentle touch. "I respect you, I want you to know that. I know this is all so fast…I just…I wasn't lying, my love. I'm completely gone for you."

Juliana sighed gently as she leaned over to kiss him gently. "Thank you for your concern, Tuck. And I am so blessed to have you; I honestly don't know what I would have done without you today. It's not easy for me to hand over the reins. I haven't exactly had a man I can count on before."

"You can count on me."

"I know," She whispered as she leaned in again to take his mouth in a slow kiss. "Maybe you _should_ work from home tomorrow."

"That sounds like a plan."


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: So sorry about the delay! It has been an awful week...but I am so happy to get this out to you. And it is definitely a little rough...I'll fix it if I need to.**

**A huge thank you to MrsAllAboutTheGray who helped me bouncing some ideas for this chapter...and who I can now resume speaking to as I have posted ; ).**

**As always please read and review...and enjoy the fluff...it's all here ; ).**

* * *

Juliana sighed pleasantly as she heard the insistent ring of Tuck's alarm going off at five-thirty again. She snuggled into the blankets and the arms that were wrapped tightly around her waist pulled her closer into the hard wall of his chest as he buried his nose behind her ear.

"Mmm, I just have to make a few quick calls for work, my love," He mumbled, his voice still husky with sleep. "Then I'll be right back to hold you again."

She turned her head to kiss his lips with a still dazed and half comatose feeling in her body as she responded, "Sounds good, don't be too long."

Tuck reluctantly let her go and grabbed his phone to dial Collins' executive assistant Jon to tell him that he wouldn't be in the office today for personal reasons, but he was fully accessible by his cell phone. He walked down to the kitchen, out of ear shot from his room to call FDR to leave him a message.

Because inevitably if he left it up to Franklin, the minute he wasn't at his desk he'd start calling him about something or another just to annoy him.

With that done he walked back to his bedroom, catching his reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator as he passed by. An uncharacteristic wave of giddiness and embarrassment went through him as he realized that he was walking through his loft completely stark naked.

He'd never really done that before. Then again he realized with an interesting bit of pride that he hadn't had an occasion to be naked as much as he had recently. He smiled as he lifted the blankets and slid into bed with a still sleeping Juliana.

At first he'd completely planned on just falling asleep…but after feeling her soft skin under his fingers again, other parts of his body had a different opinion.

He stroked her hip gently as he stared at her beautiful face, her eyes closed and relaxed as her curly hair fanned out all round her. She looked like a porcelain doll, innocent, soft, and so very, very beautiful. And God, he loved her. A wave of something incredible tightened his chest as he realized that she said she loved him too.

It was so fast, but damn it, he wanted to spend the rest of his life waking up nest to this woman and her sweet smell.

Almost on cue, the sentimental thought suddenly stirred other parts of his body, because she _tasted_ as sweet as she smelled. Suddenly that was the only thing on his mind. He kissed her shoulder softly as he rolled her on her back, making sure not to wake her just yet.

Tuck was infinitely patient as he moved her body, slowly moving his own lower beneath the covers until his shoulders were nestled right between her legs. She shifted a little and mumbled in her sleep, and he laughed to himself as he stared up at her furrowed brow. She slept like the dead.

He lowered his lips finally to her stomach, kissing the soft flesh just beneath her navel, and then taking just the tip of his tongue, he barely licked the length of her clitoris.

She huffed a breathless gasp in her sleep, and he kept his eyes focused up at her face as he licked her again, this time with more pressure.

She stirred more, whimpering this time, and he wanted to keep on teasing her, but his cock had other ideas. He groaned pleasantly as he opened his mouth to take her dampening flesh in a greedy kiss. He began to tongue her firmly; dipping inside to work the spongy tissues that were starting to swell and weep with her sweet slickness.

Juliana moaned out as her eyes fluttered open to see him between her legs, catching his grey eyes as he worked her with enthusiasm.

"Mmm, _oh_, my God, Tuck," She gasped as her entire body began to tingle. "You are so incredible at that."

Her hand reached down to touch the one of his that was wrapped around her thigh, as her hips began to work of their own volition, rocking and grinding up against his mouth.

He groaned in reply, the vibration ringing through her already swollen and primed little pearl, bringing her right to the edge. "I'm gonna come…please don't stop…"

Her entire body suddenly seized and shook as her orgasm crashed into her, the sleepiness and the early morning dulling it somewhat, but still making her gasp and pant through it.

Juliana's legs felt like rubber as Tuck crawled up her body, kissing her belly, and her breasts before taking her mouth in a slow, languid kiss, his tongue tasting unmistakably tangy from her body. She shifted her weight and reached down to guide him into her waiting body, clutching onto his broad shoulders as he began to stretch and fill her inch by inch.

Again, like anything that had happened between him and this woman, Tuck groaned pleasantly as he seated himself fully inside her climax-tightened walls, it had been a long time since he'd done this. To be able to make love spontaneously, with a partner who didn't need an hour prep-time before he could touch her.

The early hour though, combined with his already insane level of arousal had him already racing to finish with the first few thrusts into her body.

"I'm not going to last, love," He confessed, feeling a bit of embarrassment and heat color his face. "I'm sorry."

Instead of responding with words, Juliana just held him close and began to thrust back against him, encouraging him to pick up speed. He deserved to be selfish. For Christ sakes he'd gone down on her at six in the morning, she wasn't expecting marathon sex. And after the past year…one orgasm in the morning was more than she was used to.

Tuck shivered and groaned as he suddenly felt it all rush through him like the most incredible wakeup call the world had ever known. He came into her with a sigh and held her tightly as he relaxed his body.

Juliana smiled as she yawned reflexively, "Now that was a way to wake up."

He chuckled warmly as he nuzzled into her neck. "Wake up, my love? I'm ready to fall asleep again."

"We can do that too." She whispered as she held him close, not even letting him withdraw from her body as they both drifted off.

* * *

It was sometime around 8:45 when his cell phone started ringing. Tuck opened his eyes to realize that he'd fallen asleep on Juliana's chest, and even though he had softened, he was still partly inside her.

He lifted his head as the phone began to ring again, and it took a second, but his brain engaged that this could be an emergency from the office.

Tuck carefully pulled out of her and gently moved so he could reach across to grab his phone, answering without bothering to see who was calling.

"Hansen, speaking," He mumbled as a yawn stretched his face.

"Hey there Mr. Sleep-in-and-screw, how's your sex vacation day going?" FDR's voice rang through the phone.

Tuck rolled his eyes as he slipped out of bed and jumped into his sleep pants that were discarded on the side of the bed as he walked downstairs.

"I'm on a personal day, Franklin, is there a reason you are calling me?"

"Not really, just got done speaking to Bothwick though, what's up with the rap and tap on your girl's place?" He asked his voice remarkably serious.

"Someone broke in yesterday, and I want to make sure she's safe," Tuck answered, "Figured that was the most efficient way to do it."

"No shit," FDR said. "Anything get stolen?"

"Nah, not that we could see yesterday, anyways, she called me on the way home and I went right over." Tuck explained. "Her place is a bloody mess."

"So that means she's staying at your place, huh?" He replied, the sly smirk evident in his voice. "And I bet you are giving her a little something nice and stiff to deal with the trauma, aren't you?"

Tuck frowned, "Honestly, Franklin. What in God's name does Lauren see in you?"

"I have no idea," He laughed. "Anyways, I'll let you go, just wanted to bust your hard working balls this morning."

"Yeah, thanks for that, mate, hanging up now."

"Have _fun_, Tuck, Tuck."

* * *

Juliana felt the mattress shift and opened her eyes to see Tuck crawling into bed again. She blinked a few times and stared at him sleepily.

"What time is it, babe?" She mumbled.

"Nine or so," He answered quietly. "We don't have to get up yet if you don't want to."

She smiled and bit her lip as she remembered the little impromptu morning romp they had enjoyed. "I think I could use some breakfast, though."

"That sounds good," He answered as he kissed her softly. "I can make you eggs again…I remember that being a very good breakfast for both of us."

Juliana smiled as she sat up, "Now _that_ sounds good."

* * *

They had a simple breakfast, and Juliana sat on her phone as she spoke to her insurance company to put a claim in for damages as her eyes followed across the room to catch Tuck working out in the corner of the room. He was wearing nothing but a pair of track pants as he went at a hanging bag with a rhythm of heavy punches.

It probably wasn't the smartest idea to watch him while trying to have an intelligent conversation, because all she could concentrate on was the way his muscles moved in a fluid roll and the way everything was glistening with well earned sweat. She wanted to walk over there and lick every drop off his body.

He caught her looking, and while he walked over to the fridge he wagged his finger at her playfully as he grabbed a bottle of water.

Juliana scribbled down a couple pieces of information that the call center had given her and ended the call with a laugh. "I was just appreciating your hard work."

"Your appreciation looks like it consists of naughty thoughts," He teased as he took a long pull off the water bottle. "Not that I mind that at all, my love, because you sitting all prim and proper at the table in just a t-shirt and knickers has been making me crazy all morning."

She shook her head as she felt her cheeks heating up with aroused blush. "We are never going to get dressed if you keep this up."

"Is that a bad thing?" Tuck said with a smile. "That sounds like a good afternoon to me."

"It does, but I was thinking we could take that walk on the beach we never got a chance to enjoy last night," She said. "What do you think?"

"Sounds lovely," He answered as he checked the clock on the stove, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. "Would you mind terribly if we maybe picked up Joe? I don't get afternoons off all that often, and I'd like to see him."

Juliana smiled as she stared at him, he was so incredibly thoughtful it actually made her heart clench with emotion. "Of course not Tuck, I'd love to see your son. And you never have to ask me about something like that."

He smiled warmly at her, this really was too damn wonderful. He wanted this everyday for the rest of his life, and he suddenly wondered just how he'd managed to get through his life without her.

* * *

They pulled up to Joe's school a few hours later, and Tuck went inside to sign him out as she waited in the car. She smiled and waved as they appeared a few minutes later, Joe's handsome little face lit up the instant he saw her.

"Hey Juliana!" He said excitedly as he climbed in. "You have the day off too?"

"I do," She answered. "And I couldn't think of two better guys to spend the afternoon with."

Joe smiled as Tuck got in and turned the car on. "What do you think about a little walk on the beach?"

"Sweet!" He answered enthusiastically.

* * *

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny, 70 degrees, and with a light breeze off the water. It was so far removed from the March weather that she was used to back east. She was glad she had chosen a black sleeveless shirt and jeans, it was perfect.

She was holding hands with Tuck as Joe went on and on about everything he had been doing in school, and she actually felt like a little family. Her blue eyes drifted over to stare at her boyfriend with unabashed interest. There was no way a plain red t-shirt and blue jeans should look that good on a human being, and with the mirrored aviators he was wearing...damn.

"So I have been writing my report on Louis Pasteur," Joe said as he looked up at her. "It's going pretty good."

"That's awesome," She said with a smile. She chewed her lip and remembered the old book that she had back at Tuck's place "I have a copy of one of the books that he actually wrote. If you promise to take really, really good care of it I'll let you take it to school for your presentation."

The little boy looked up at her with a beaming smile on his face. "You'd really let me do that?"

"Of course."

"That is so awesome, I'm definitely getting an 'A' now."

Juliana looked down suddenly when she felt a little hand take hers. He held onto her and she felt Tuck squeeze her other hand at the sight.

The three of them walked the length of the beach, and on the way back to the car, Juliana stared down at the now quiet eight-year-old. A mischievous smile crossed her face as she leaned down to Joe's ear.

"I totally dare you to splash your Dad." She whispered.

"No way," He giggled.

"I'll give you a dollar."

"Fine."

She dropped his hand and he waited for just a moment, catching his father unaware as he stared off into space, just basking in the feeling of being completely happy. Joe ran into the waves and expertly kicked up the spray just enough to send a spray of droplets right up Tuck's back.

He jumped and spun around quickly to catch his son laughing at him, a huge smile splitting his gorgeous face. "You are in big trouble, Spudley!"

Joe giggled and turned to run, Juliana waited until his back was turned to reach down and spray him again with the salty water.

"Oh, I see," Tuck laughed, "I'm surrounded by enemies here!"

Juliana took off running, reaching out to take Joe's hand as they sprinted down the beach away from him. They were both laughing and they actually made it a decent distance before she heard Joe scream out in surprise as Tuck splashed him with a slap of water.

Suddenly her entire world shifted as he lifted her into his arms bridal style and swung her over the water.

"Don't you dare!" She managed to gasp out in a breathy giggle. "Joe! Get him now!"

"Okay!" He yelled as he furiously started soaking his father's back.

"Splash me again, homie and the girl is going to get it!" Tuck threatened playfully.

Joe stopped and after a mock standoff, Tuck stole a quick kiss from her pink lips before he relented and put her down gently on her feet, loving the way she smiled at him sweetly. Which is why he was completely unprepared a second later for her to step away and shove him backwards.

He fell completely into the water, instantly popping back up to see Juliana laughing at his soaking wet body, her head tilted back and a huge smile on her beautiful face.

The movement was instinctual, his hand shot out to grab her arm and pull her down with him. She gasped in surprise as she surfaced, as completely soaked as he was.

Tuck paused as she sputtered for a moment, before turning to look at him with a beautiful smile on her face. He could hear his son laughing at them in the distance, and he couldn't help but stare at her as his chest tightened with emotion.

She wiped her smudged eyeliner out from underneath her eyes and stared at him with a lighthearted look on her face, still smiling. A similar memory popped into his head, he'd done something like this with Joe and Katie last summer, it had been a battle with the garden hose between him and his son as he washed his truck.

The two boys had been completely soaked, and he'd playfully sent a little stream of water at Katie and she'd spent the next fifteen minutes yelling at him because she didn't want her hair wet.

But Juliana seemed like she could have cared less, still sitting in the water as the waves lapped into them. There was something in him that let go at that moment. Here she was, spending the day with him and his son, and she didn't care about anything but them. And right now...she couldn't have been anymore perfect to him.

He loved her so goddamn much, and all he knew was that he didn't want her to leave his place when hers was back to normal. He wanted her to live with him - permanently.

He swallowed hard when it hit him, he wanted to _marry_ her.

There must have been an odd look on his face, because Juliana stared into his eyes and he could see the love and hunger in her gaze too.

He reached out for her just as Joe's voice snapped him out of it and pulled them back into reality. As much as he wanted to take her now, right here, he wasn't free to do that.

Instead he settled for standing up and taking her hands to help her as well. He checked his sunglasses, that were still tucked into the collar of his shirt and he made sure his wallet and keys were still in his pocket.

"It was a good thing we left the phones in the car," Juliana said with a chuckle.

Tuck smirked, "Yes that was a good idea."

He tried not to stare at the way her wet cotton shirt clung to her body, the fabric getting thin and the way that her nipples were becoming prominent with the cool breeze. God, they looked like two little ripe berries he'd just love to taste.

"Hey, Dad, can we get a snack?" Joe asked, snapping him out of it.

"Uh, sure," He answered as he took Juliana's hand and walked out of the water. "That will give us time to drip dry a little. What do you want?"

"Maybe you should ask Juliana since you got her all wet."

Juliana stared at Tuck as her cheeks flushed, her mind instantly going to the gutter at the innocent boy's words. "How about ice cream?" She managed to get out.

"Yesss! I definitely want ice cream!"

They started walking over towards the pier, and she shivered as his mouth pressed up against her ear, his voice was a low whisper, husky and full of promise. "I'm sorry I got you all _wet_, love. Maybe when we get home we can take a nice warm shower together and scrub off all this sand."

She bit her lip at the thought and answered him back, "Definitely."

* * *

A few minutes later the three of them sat at a picnic table in the sunshine, drying off and enjoying a bit of ice cream. Joe was into his cone of chocolate chip cookie dough, Juliana wanted simple coffee, and after a tough internal debate, Tuck had settled on pistachio.

Though truthfully he couldn't even taste it. All he could focus on was her pretty pink tongue as it daintily licked her cone. It was so fucking sexy he had to concentrate on everything he could just to keep himself from making a scene and ending up with a public indecency charge and a necessity to talk to his son about the birds and the bees a little early.

"Dad," Joe said quietly. "When can I come and live with you?"

Tuck took a deep breath as he stared at his son. It would be almost impossible with his job to have Joe with him full time. Well, unless he was married...and providing of course that the woman would want to have a family.

"Well, Spud, you know Dad travels for work, yeah?" He said quietly. "I can't have you be alone while I do that. So if you want to live with me you are gonna have to be older."

"What if you had Juliana living with you too?" Joe pressed. "Then she could take care of me."

Juliana's eyes went wide at the little boy's eager words. She remembered the feeling of having her step-brothers dealing with their mother. The back and forth was really too much for a kid to deal with.

Tuck smiled, "Well, if that time came, that would be a discussion we could have. But for right now, we have to keep things the way they are, okay?"

"Yeah." He said sadly. "I just miss you a lot."

"I miss you too, son." He said as he kissed the top of his head. "But I'll always be here for you, you can call me anytime."

"Okay."

* * *

They enjoyed the rest of their dessert, and with only damp clothes instead of being out and out soaked, Tuck and Juliana climbed back into the truck with Joe and they headed off towards his ex's house.

It wasn't more than a half hour before they pulled up to a very cute modern home with a manicured front lawn. Juliana felt a little odd as she stepped out of the truck to give Joe a hug, seeing a very thin and attractive brunette walk out into the doorway to stare at her.

She waved out of politeness, and tried not to make a face, as the woman looked her over from head to toe. Juliana suddenly felt a bit of self-consciousness at the fact that she was standing in front of his ex-wife with plain clothes and salt water soaked hair and no makeup. Not to mention the fact that she looked to be a size zero, and after the ice cream cone she pigged out on, she kind of wished she'd passed on it.

Tuck hugged his son tightly and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you Thursday at karate, I love you."

"Okay, Dad. I love you too."

He stood up and waved curtly at Katie before he turned around and got back into the car. There was a definite sadness to him that she had never seen before. It couldn't be easy to leave his son behind.

"You alright?" She asked quietly.

"I hate leaving my son," He answered truthfully as he started his car. "I want him with me, but there is just no way to do it with as much as I travel for work. I feel like I'm the reason he's miserable and it kills me."

Juliana nodded and just let him talk, knowing that he was letting her see something that hurt. "Well, you are an amazing father," She said quietly. "And you are committed to your career, which is very admirable. Just give it time, he'll get older, and who knows what will happen. Just keep staying in his life and loving him, that's what's important."

"Thank you, my love," He said as he reached over to take her hand as they drove home. "You are too wonderful."

"You are welcome." She replied as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "And you deserve it."

Tuck sighed pleasantly as he felt that same pull in his chest that he had felt earlier at the beach. She was all he'd ever wanted in a woman and never knew he'd find. He stroked her hand with his thumb as he smiled at her. A shiver of warmth ran across his body and he felt the arousal and need that had filled him earlier come back with a vengeance.

He wanted her..._now_.


End file.
